


Out of Darkness and Chaos

by Cosmic_Entity_1of4



Series: Remake Yourself and Rise [2]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Everyone Needs A Hug, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Holy Crap Infinity War Killed Me, Lexi Needs a Hug, MCU compliant, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pretty Freaking Angsty, Protective Bucky Barnes, Smut, They Made Lexi Angry, romantic smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-29 03:16:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 117,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15063851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmic_Entity_1of4/pseuds/Cosmic_Entity_1of4
Summary: Lexi has left her identity and Avengers HQ behind, determined to get to Bucky and destroy the people she believes have forced him back into cryostasis. When she learns the truth, however, she is left feeling crushed, betrayed by those she had thought of as family, and she disappears.The darkness she has fought so hard against takes over, stripping her of emotion and leaving only cold calculation in its place. At her biological mother’s urging, she travels across Europe and the Middle East, nameless and faceless, anonymously assisting her friends in their mission to rid the world of alien weaponry with ruthless efficiency.When Bucky wakes up, finally free of Hydra’s programming, though, her heart and mind are suddenly thrown into chaos, torn between running to him and running away so he never gets the chance to hurt her again. When she finally faces him, he can see her haunted, blank expression, and he recognizes it as the one The Asset wore for decades—and this time it’s his turn to help her find her way out of the dark.With Bucky’s help, she learns to accept that both her light and dark sides are necessary; she’ll need them to keep herself and her family alive.Because Thanos is coming.





	1. The Ghost

 

 

A couple of weeks after Bucky went into cryostasis, Steve returned to Wakanda with Sam, Clint, Wanda, and Scott in tow, having successfully freed them from The Raft. It had been less difficult to break into the maximum security prison than Steve had anticipated, which he attributed partly to Ross and Talbot’s over-confidence; King T’Challa’s incredibly advanced technology, however, was the main factor, he was sure. His stealth systems were clearly even more intricate and encompassing than Tony’s. Of course, seeing as how the Wakandans had managed to keep the entire city of Birnin Zana completely hidden from the rest of world, it really wasn’t that surprising.

 

Once they were in the Wakandan Talon Fighter and flying away from The Raft, the submergible ocean prison receding quickly in the distance, Sam turned to Steve and immediately asked, “What happened to Barnes?”

 

Unable to keep the surprise from his face, Steve looked at the others. While Scott seemed only mildly curious, Clint and Wanda were waiting for his answer with equally intense expressions. “He’s, uh, he’s fine,” Steve finally answered. When that response was obviously not going to be enough to satisfy them, he added, “Because of what happened with…everything…he decided to, um, go back into cryostasis. Until we can figure out how to get Hydra’s programming out of his head.” Seeing Wanda’s wide-eyed reaction, he asked, “How did you know something happened?”

 

“Because Lexi knew,” Wanda said, sadness tingeing her voice. “She couldn’t feel him anymore. Her anguish and despair made it past my dampening collar—until Talbot put it on its maximum settings.”

 

Steve’s shoulders dropped. “Dammit,” he sighed. “Can you feel Lexi’s emotions now that the collar is gone?” he asked worriedly.

 

Wanda shook her head sadly. “Since then, there has been…nothing. We may be too far away for me to feel anything now, but...” she sighed, “I think it’s more complicated than that.”

 

“Let me know if that changes, okay?” Steve asked, Wanda nodding affirmatively.

 

After the four had been checked out by the medical crew, gotten settled into their rooms, and he had checked on Bucky, T’Challa asked Steve to take a walk with him. They strolled outside, along a path that wandered through a courtyard. Lush trees provided a shady canopy against the harsh African afternoon sun.

 

“It is fortunate that you have been away these past few weeks,” T’Challa said, looking forward with his hands clasped behind his back.

 

“Oh? How so?” Steve asked, intrigued.

 

T’Challa sighed. “There was an…attempted coup, by my cousin, N’Jadaka,” he said. “It was most unpleasant.” At Steve’s concerned expression, he elaborated slightly. “I was nearly killed, as was Shuri. Many Wakandans perished in the fighting.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” Steve said sincerely.

 

“Our friend Everett Ross was quite helpful in the matter,” T’Challa said with a lopsided smile.

 

“Really?” Steve said curiously. “He came here?”

 

“He was injured, and we were able to help him,” the King nodded. He chuckled a bit, saying, “Shuri was excited at the prospect of having ‘another broken white boy to fix,’ I believe she said.”

 

“So everything is…settled, now?” Steve asked.

 

“It is,” T’Challa nodded. Seemingly happy to leave the matter at that, he did add, “Sergeant Barnes was never in any danger. The medical suites were never tampered with.”

 

“Thank you,” Steve nodded. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for him.”

 

“Regarding that, Captain Rogers, we need to discuss an important matter. It seems that something has followed you here,” T’Challa said, watching Steve out of the corner of his eye.

 

Steve frowned, coming to a complete stop. “Excuse me?” he asked, confusion clear on his face, going so far as to look around him, trying to see what the King was talking about.

 

“There is a presence, here in the compound,” T’Challa replied, studying Steve’s face, looking for a sign that Steve was aware of what he was speaking. When no sign of deceit was forthcoming, T’Challa continued. “It began when you were away, liberating your friends from incarceration. My people can see it, but only for a moment; as soon as it senses them, it is gone. They are calling it _Umoya._ ” When Steve looked at him questioningly, T’Challa explained. “It means ‘The Ghost.’”

 

“’The Ghost’?” Steve said, his brows arched skeptically. “I don’t understand. If it started showing up while I was away, why do you think it has something to do with me?”

 

“Not you personally, Captain; it is, however, _very_ interested in Sergeant Barnes,” T’Challa responded, watching as concern came over Steve’s face.

 

“Bucky?” he asked, shocked. “What do you mean?”

 

“Perhaps you should come with me to my office,” T’Challa said, turning in the direction of the outer doors. “There is something I would like you to see.”

 

They walked in silence, T’Challa nodding to people they passed in the hallways leading to his office. Once they were inside and the doors were shut, though, the King began to speak. “We have extensive security throughout the compound, Captain, as you are aware.” He walked around his desk and tapped a few icons on the computer touchscreen.

 

“Yes,” Steve said, nodding.

 

“There are cameras in the medical suites as well,” T’Challa said, gesturing to a larger screen on the wall. Steve turned his gaze as a closed-circuit feed came up, showing the inside of the room where Bucky’s cryo-tube was located. “This was the first incident, which occurred the morning after Sergeant Barnes went into cryostasis.”

 

Steve watched the security feed, which was time-stamped at just after 6:00 a.m. on the morning following Bucky’s procedure. The room was staffed 24-hours a day, everyday, but from midnight to 8 a.m., there was only one person assigned to the room. Currently, with the exception of Bucky’s cryo-tube, the room was empty. A few seconds later, however, there was a fog, or a mist of some kind, floating through the doorway.

 

“What the hell?” Steve asked, leaning forward as his eyes narrowed.

 

The misty substance entered the room near the ceiling and slowly made its way over toward Bucky. Then, suddenly, it wasn’t a shapeless mass anymore; it fell, almost as if the mist was water vapor that had been sprayed into the air and then had settled onto someone’s skin. The outline became clearer—it appeared to be a woman, with long hair, who looked to be wearing a gown of some kind, stretching a hand toward the cryo-tube.

 

Several moments later, a medical assistant entered the room, her eyes on a chart she was reading. She looked up when she walked through the doorway, and, upon seeing… _whatever_ it was…she dropped the tablet in her hand and gasped out loud.

 

The woman, or ghost, or whatever it was they were looking at, was clearly startled at the noise, turned toward the medical assistant, and then immediately disappeared.

 

Steve stared at the screen, dumbfounded. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly. Finally he shook his head and turned to T’Challa. “And you said that this was the _first_ incident?”

 

“Yes, Captain,” he nodded. “There have been several more since then. Usually in the morning hours, but once in the early afternoon.”

 

“And this…Ghost, it—she?—always goes to Bucky’s tube?” Steve asked, frowning.

 

“Without fail,” T’Challa replied. “Why would that be, do you think?”

 

“I have no idea,” Steve said, shaking his head slowly. He looked sideways at the young king. “Do you have other footage?”

 

***

 

After watching the other bits of security feed, all which showed essentially the same events as the first—though Steve seemed to think that during the last one, the ‘Ghost’ seemed more opaque than she had before—T’Challa turned off the screen and turned to face him.

 

“So, Captain,” he said, in his deep, smooth-timbered voice, “is there anything you would like to share with me?”

 

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Steve admitted. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

 

“The young woman that arrived here with you today,” T’Challa began.

 

“Wanda,” Steve offered helpfully.

 

“Yes, Miss Maximoff,” T’Challa continued. “I am aware that she is quite powerful. Is this not something she could be doing?”

 

“I don’t think so,” Steve said, frowning as he shook his head minutely. “She was forced to wear a collar while she was on The Raft, something called a ‘dampener’ that was disrupting her abilities. Even so, this isn’t anything like what she’s done in the past.”

 

“Speaking of the past, then,” T’Challa pressed on. “This is quite clearly centered around Sergeant Barnes. Does he have someone in his past that is capable of this?”

 

Steve smiled sadly, still shaking his head. “The only girl from his past is Lexi, and last I heard, she wasn’t doing so—“ Suddenly he inhaled sharply and his eyes became as round as saucers. “Oh, no.”

 

T’Challa’s eyes narrowed even as Steve’s got wider. “Yes, Captain? You seem to have thought of something.”

 

Steve felt nearly close to panic at that point. He looked at T’Challa. “I need to make a phone call.”

 

Without waiting for a response, he got up and bolted from the room.

 

He raced through the hallways, heading for the group of apartments that the king had set aside for Steve and his teammates. In a similar set-up to Avengers HQ, the private rooms were keyed to a person’s biometrics, so physical keys and cards were unnecessary. The door to his rooms unlocked automatically, and he pushed inside, immediately walking over to the desk sitting in the corner of the living area.

 

Opening the center drawer, Steve pulled out the disposable cell phone he had purchased, a twin to the one he had mailed to Tony. On the screen he saw the notifications from several days earlier:

 

_You have:_

_(2) Missed phone calls_

_(1) Voice message_

 

 

Unlocking the phone and opening the voice mail screen, he saw that it was from the phone he had sent to Tony, and his stomach dropped. “Oh, no,” he whispered. A shaking finger pressed the icon to listen to the voice mail.

 

 _“Cap,”_ Tony said, his voice sounding scratchy, _“call me when you get this. It’s important.”_

 

“Oh, god,” Steve exhaled shakily, closing his eyes, as the angry conversation with Tony from weeks earlier ran through his mind.

 

_“…if she’s separated from Barnes for much longer, I doubt she’ll survive.”_

 

Feeling nauseated, Steve pressed the button to call Tony’s phone. He picked up before the second ring completed.

 

“Cap,” Tony said quietly.

 

“Tony,” Steve responded, tension roiling his gut.

 

“Something happened a few nights ago. With Lexi,” Tony said huskily. He cleared his throat. “You need to know.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “She’s gone.”

 

“Oh, oh god, no,” Steve whispered, covering his eyes with a shaking hand. He felt like his throat was closing up, like he couldn’t breathe, he needed to sit down, _oh god how was he going to tell Bucky, what was he going to do, how would—_

 

“We think she got about a twelve-hour head start on us before we even knew she’d taken off, and what with all the—“ Tony was saying, before Steve finally processed his words.

 

“Wait, what?” Steve interrupted, bewildered, his voice ragged and broken.

 

“What?” Tony said, confused, before he exhaled roughly and said, “Jesus, Steve, she’s not _dead_ —I wouldn’t drop that on you over the phone. I’m not completely heartless. She busted out, vanished, flew the coop.”

 

“Oh, my god,” Steve groaned loudly, falling into a chair and dropping his head back to rest on it. “Oh, my god, Tony, I thought she was—I was so—holy shit,” he breathed, feeling the bands of anguish loosening from around his chest.

 

“Yeah, well, before you go getting all relieved, Mister Potty Mouth,” Tony continued, “you need to know that she’s probably on her way to you right now, and this may not end well.”

 

“What? Why—how—“ Steve stammered.

 

“I’m not asking for details, frankly it’s better if I don’t know, but I’m guessing something happened with Barnes a few weeks ago,” Tony said, all business now.

 

“Yes,” Steve answered warily.

 

“Lexi felt it. She knew. She—she passed out, was unconscious, for fifteen or sixteen hours, her hair and her eyes turned pure silver, and when she woke up, she was—“ Tony broke off for a second, exhaling forcefully. “She was different. Said she knew where Barnes was, but wouldn’t tell me more than that.”

 

“She didn’t say where—“ Steve began.

 

“Something _changed_ with her. I’m letting you know that she’s probably coming for him, she’s most likely well-armed, and if anyone gets in her way or tries to stop her, it could end very badly. For them.”

 

“Well-armed?” Steve said in disbelief.

 

“She took every single handgun that was in their armory cabinet,” Tony said flatly. “And, according to the very discreet instructor who handled her last certification, she scored ‘Expert’ in all areas. You brought all his weapons back, you know better than anyone what Barnes had stored in there, so you tell me whether you should be concerned.”

 

Steve was quiet for a few seconds. “Do you really think she’s capable of using them?”

 

“I’m telling you—after she woke up, she was _different._ I think the term ‘ruthless’ could apply here very easily,” Tony insisted. “She won’t let anyone stand between her and Barnes—probably not even you.”

 

Steve sat silently, his brow furrowed in worry. “What should I do?” he asked quietly. “I can’t hurt her.”

 

Tony huffed a laugh that sounded anything but joyful. “I think the best you can hope for here is just to try and calm her down before she kills anyone.”

 

Steve nodded, sighing. “Got it. Thanks for the head-up, Tony.”

 

“Keep me updated?” Tony asked.

 

“Yeah,” Steve said. “You’ll do the same?”

 

“Yup. Later, Cap.”

 

“Bye, Tony,” Steve said, but Tony had already disconnected.

 

Steve shut off the phone and dropped it back into the center drawer of the desk. As he pushed the drawer shut, he heard a knock on the door. As he had left it open in his rush, he looked up to see T’Challa leaning against the doorjamb. At the questioning look on his face, Steve closed his eyes and dropped his head back against the chair once again, sighing loudly.

 

When he finally lifted his head and opened his eyes, T’Challa was still there, in the doorway. Knowing that he needed to be completely honest, Steve said, “We might have a problem.”

 

“May I come in?” T’Challa asked, gesturing to the living area.

 

“Yes, of course, please come in,” Steve said, shaking his head at himself. “I’m sorry.” As he stood and walked over to join the King in the living area, he said, “I’ll admit, I’m at a loss here. I’m not sure what to do.”

 

“Why don’t you start at the beginning,” T’Challa said calmly.

 

***

 

“I’m not one-hundred-per-cent positive,” Steve began, “but I think I know who this Ghost is.” He was sitting on a comfortably upholstered chair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He was looking at his hands, which were clasped tightly together.

 

“You are distressed,” T’Challa said, tilting his head as he observed his new friend. “You know this person?”

 

“She’s like a sister to me,” Steve said, his voice rough. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “Her name is Lexi. Well, that’s her current name, anyway. She and Bucky are…very close. In love, actually.” He looked at T’Challa then, a troubled look on his face. “Bucky wanted to marry her, before…everything happened.”

 

“What kind of person is she?” T’Challa asked, leaning back in his seat with a thoughtful expression on his face.

 

The lines around Steve’s eyes softened as he thought of the girl he loved like family. “She’s wonderful,” he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “She’s kind, loving, loyal,” he went on. “She helped Bucky so much when he first came in—she’s a doctor,” he said, becoming animated, “and she’s so smart, a genius, really, she has seven or eight doctorates—“ T’Challa’s eyes widened, “—and she’s used it all to help people. She’s just very…” Steve trailed off, the happiness suddenly draining from his expression, “…special.”

 

T’Challa watched Steve for a few moments as he struggled with his emotions. “You obviously feel very deeply for this woman,” he said softly. “Why does this upset you?”

 

“Tony—Stark,” Steve clarified, as if the King wouldn’t know which Tony he was referring to, “says that when Bucky went into cryo, that she knew somehow, even though she’s thousands of miles away, and that she reacted very badly.” When T’Challa waited for him to continue, he said, “Apparently Lexi collapsed and was unconscious for hours. Wanda said that even with the dampener collar on, she could feel Lexi’s anguish.” Steve frowned, his gaze falling to the floor. “Tony says after she woke up, that she was…different. Changed somehow.”

 

“I’m assuming there is more to this woman than you are telling me,” T’Challa said, not in an accusing way, but so as to steer Steve onto the topic of the current situation. “You believe she could be our Ghost. Why?”

 

“What I’m going to tell you cannot go any further than this room,” Steve said. “Sam, Clint, Wanda—they all know, they’ve lived with Lexi just like I have, and we all love her, but none of this is public knowledge. It could be dangerous for a lot of people if it got out.”

 

“I understand,” T’Challa nodded. “I will speak of this to no one.”

 

Steve watched him for a few seconds, as if weighing his words. “Lexi is extremely powerful,” he said quietly. “She’s Thor’s half-sister.”

 

“Pardon me?” T’Challa blurted, his eyes like saucers.

 

Steve huffed a laugh. “Believe me, no one was more surprised than Lexi, except Thor, maybe. Apparently they share a mother who is even more powerful than an Asgardian.” As the king sat, stunned, Steve continued. “We knew Lexi had abilities when we offered her the position at HQ—“ at T’Challa’s questioning look, he said, “she’s the Head of Physical Therapy there. But yes, we knew she was gifted. After she and Bucky got involved, though, she got stronger; she began to develop even more abilities, and some of them were occasionally difficult for her to control.”

 

“If she is our Ghost, what do you believe she is trying to do?” T’Challa asked.

 

“Honestly? I think she’s checking on Bucky, just making sure he’s okay,” Steve replied. “Unfortunately, Tony says she’s disappeared. Gone from HQ,” he said, shaking his head sadly, “and if he’s right, she’s coming here.”

 

“Can you provide us with a picture?” T’Challa asked. “Even if she were somehow able to find the city, she would not be able to make it inside, much less get to the facility, without being seen.”

 

Steve actually laughed at that. His head fell back against the chair and his eyes crinkled at the corners. T’Challa watched him, bewildered. “You doubt our security?” he asked.

 

“Against Lexi, yes,” Steve said. He remained slumped back against the chair as the laughter subsided.

 

“Please, do enlighten me,” the king said, smirking indulgently.

 

Steve smiled fondly, thinking of his friend. “She can completely alter her appearance, just by thinking about it,” he said, watching with satisfaction as the smirk left T’Challa’s face. “She can also disappear at will. One second, she’s standing right in front of you, and then _poof!_ ” Steve said, waving a tired hand, “She’s gone.”

 

“This is not a joking matter, Captain,” T’Challa said seriously. “If she does come here, what do you think she will do?”

 

“She’ll be coming for Bucky,” Steve said, all kidding aside. “And if Tony is right, she’ll take out anyone who tries to stop her.”

 

***

 

It wasn’t until she was Jocasta Achyrónes that she first encountered difficulty. Actually, perhaps ‘difficulty’ was too strong a word; she was _annoyed._ She had expected trouble far sooner, to be honest. She had made it from New York to Paris, France, and stayed there for more than a week before moving on to Athens, Greece, with no one giving her more than an appraising or leering look. Usually a hard stare in return was enough to make most of them turn away and leave her in peace; there was a certain breed of individual, however, that considered a complete and total lack of interest a challenge.

 

She had reservations at a hotel that was close to the Athens International Airport for the night. Her next flight wasn’t leaving until late the following day, and she couldn’t allow herself to fall asleep on a plane, not when she needed to be vigilant about her appearance.

 

As she checked in at the front desk, she took note of a man across the lobby. She had seen him when she first walked in, how he looked her up and down and grinned, obviously liking what he saw. He was not overly tall, perhaps only five-foot-nine or -ten, probably one hundred and eighty pounds of untoned muscle that was turning to flab, with the olive complexion typical to Greece. His greased-back hair was dyed midnight black, so she placed his age at probably early-to-mid-forties. He actually had very smooth, lovely skin and large, dark eyes that had undoubtedly won him admirers in the past, but she wasn’t the least bit interested, of course, and not just because he was wearing pants that were far too tight for his girth and a shirt that was unbuttoned nearly to his navel to display his remarkably hairy chest and numerous gold chains. She ignored him and continued on, but was very aware that he had moved closer as she finished her transaction.

 

Once she received her room key from the hotel clerk, she turned and started walking toward the bank of elevators. Suddenly he was right in front of her, obviously having listened to her dealings with the hotel clerk, and was attempting to block her path.

 

“ _Geia sas, ómorfo,_ ” (“Hello there, beautiful,”) he said smoothly, his eyes taking in her long, dark hair, dark brown eyes, and deeply tanned skin. This, combined with her ability to speak flawless Greek, made her look and sound as if she had lived her entire life on the Mediterranean.

 

She had no time for his nonsense. She was tired and needed to rest. “ _Eímai pantreménos. Parakaló min me enochleíte._ ” (“I am married. Please do not bother me.”)

 

After a perfunctory glance at her left hand, he barged ahead, undeterred. “ _Akóma taxidévete mónoi sas? Ísos tha thélate kápoia etaireía,_ ” (“Yet you are traveling alone? Perhaps you would like some company,”) he responded, trying to sound solicitous, but coming off sounding slimy instead.

 

“ _Egó den. Fýge._ ” (“I do not. Go away.”)

 

“ _Min eísai étsi. Eímai polý filikós,_ ” (“Don’t be like that. I am very friendly,”) he cooed, reaching out for her arm as she tried to move around him.

 

She came to a complete halt, staring daggers at him. “ _Mi m'angízeis._ ” (“Do not touch me.”)

 

“ _To thélo móno—_ ” (“I only wish to—“) he began to say.

 

She lowered her voice, speaking every word clearly and concisely. “ _Tha spáso káthe dáchtylo pou mou vázete. Eínai safés?_ ” (“I will break every finger that you lay on me. Is that clear?”)

 

He smiled, though there was a hint of trepidation in his eyes as he slowly pulled his hand back. “ _Eísai kakóvoulos. Mou aresei afto,_ ” (“You are a feisty one. I like that,”) he leered.

 

She actually smiled at that. So that’s how this was going to go, then? “ _Den nomízo óti tha sas arései ótan sas grothiá ston laimó kai sas afíno na pnigoún sto pátoma._ ” (“I don’t think you’ll like it when I punch you in the throat and leave you to suffocate on the floor.”) Then her eyes hardened. “ _Tóra vgeíte apó to drómo mou kai min me enochlíste páli._ ” (“Now get out of my way and don’t bother me again.”)

 

Walking around him, she pressed the elevator button. Over the next several seconds, a few people joined her as she waited. A somewhat older woman stood next to her on her left and said quietly, “ _Efyge._ ” (“He’s gone.”)

 

Glancing to the side, she acknowledged the woman with a slight nod. “ _Efcharistó,_ ” (“Thank you,”) she said softly.

 

The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside, the older woman and a French couple joining her. Two floors later, the French couple got out, and after the doors slid shut, the older woman asked, “ _Thélate na peíte ti eípate se aftón? Schetiká me to spásimo ton daktýlon tou? Kai i diátrisi?_ ” (“Did you mean what you said to that man? About breaking his fingers? And the punching?”)

 

Still looking forward, she said, “ _Káthe léxi._ ” (“Every word.”)

 

The elevator slowed and the doors slid open. The older woman turned and said, “ _Próseche. Ándres san aftó den prépei na aporrifthoún._ ” (“Be careful. Men like that do not like to be rejected.”)

 

As she exited, she smiled serenely at the woman and said, “ _Eán me enochleí páli, tha eínai to teleftaío prágma pou kánei poté._ ” (“If he bothers me again, it will be the last thing he ever does.”)

 

The older woman’s eyes widened as the doors slid shut once more.

 

***

 

It was simple enough to get the weapons case unpacked and have Bucky’s SIG-Sauer P226R loaded and ready, sitting on the desk. It only took a handful of minutes after that to set up her laptop and break into the hotel’s security system, specifically the live video feeds from the cameras placed strategically around the lobby, the elevators, the emergency stairways, and the floor her room was on. She knew it would take at least that long for the idiot in the lobby to talk himself into coming after her, seeking to avenge his bruised ego.

 

She changed clothes, opting for tactical rather than comfortable at this point, selecting a black tank top, black jeans, and a pair of sturdy black boots with reinforced toes. She pulled her still long, dark hair into a ponytail on the back of her head and watched the video feed.

 

The idiot was easy to spot, greasy hair and gold chains making him stand out like a bad 70’s stereotype, and she was able to pick out the exact moment that testosterone overruled his prefrontal cortex and all common sense fell by the wayside. He stomped into the elevator and pushed the button for her floor. She sighed inwardly. She had hoped he hadn’t gotten her room number, but…ah, well. _The hard way it is._

 

She watched the feed until the elevator doors opened on her floor and he walked out, looking at room numbers as he made his way down the hall. Once he was two doors away, she stood, picked up the loaded SIG, and walked over to the door. Looking out the peephole, she saw the moment he found her room, straightened his clothing, smoothed back his hair, and picked up his fist to knock on the door.

 

She pulled the door open quickly, stepping back and simultaneously bringing the loaded semi-automatic pistol up to eye level and aiming it directly at the idiot’s forehead. His hand glanced off the door and he fell forward slightly, his eyes widening hilariously as he took in the picture before him. Were she not so tired and just _done_ with this idiot, she may have laughed at his expression. Instead, she met his eyes with a completely blank look and slowly shook her head, her message clear: This was not happening, and there would be no more warnings.

 

He staggered back, hitting the wall on the other side of the hallway, before getting his buckled knees back under him and running for the elevator.

 

Exhaling slowly, she shut the door again, locking and bolting it. _Well, shit._

 

Walking back to the desk, she watched the video feed as he exited the elevator in the lobby and ran out the hotel’s front door.

 

She changed into a pair of slacks and some sandals and called down to the front desk to request a room change, telling them truthfully that a man was harassing her. The hotel manager, a woman, was incredibly apologetic and was more than happy to accommodate her, coming up personally to escort her to a new room on a different floor.

 

Half an hour later, she was in her new room with her laptop open and video feeds back on. Everything was quiet, so she was able to take a hot shower and let Jocasta Achyrónes wash away, never to be seen again.

 

She fell asleep in one of Bucky’s big, soft t-shirts, hoping she would be able to visit him after a few hours’ rest. It had been several days and she missed him desperately. She needed to see him.

 

***

 

Steve had spent several nights in the medical suite, on the off chance that the ‘Ghost’ would make an appearance. He didn’t know what he would do if he was right and Lexi was the mysterious incorporeal form that came in to see Bucky from time to time. Would she talk to him? _Could_ she talk to him? He was at a loss for ideas, to be honest, so he decided that he wouldn’t even try to figure it out until he knew whether it was even her. Steve hadn’t said anything to Sam or the others yet, wanting to have some concrete answers first.

 

The first few nights, nothing happened. He stayed awake the entire night, thinking that if he was right, she was usually visiting during the overnight hours when staff was lightest.

 

After taking a short nap during the day, Steve was again sitting quietly in a dark corner of the medical suite. It was just after two o’clock in the morning, and everything was peaceful. Steve was reading a book he had picked up, something to pass the time, when he heard…something, almost like a whisper, or a sudden change in the air current, and he looked up slowly.

 

There, in front of Bucky’s cryo-tube, was the misty outline of a woman, her arm outstretched, her hand reaching for the cool glass that surrounded Bucky and kept him safely asleep. Steve carefully set his book aside and stood, silently moving along the darkened edge of the room, trying to get a better look. By the time he was at a ninety-degree-angle to the apparition and could see her face clearly, there was no doubt in his mind that it was Lexi, and his heart broke at the sadness, the desolation apparent in her expression.

 

He watched her, looking over Bucky, studying his features, drinking him in. He saw her nearly transparent lips move, forming the words, _“I love you so much, Bucky. I miss you.”_ She was talking to him, silently, saying things; Steve wished he’d had Clint there, he was a much better lip-reader than Steve. Finally, after several minutes, she stopped, seemingly done talking. Her hand moved away from the glass.

 

“Lexi?” Steve said quietly.

 

She moved with a swiftness he hadn’t expected, whipping around to face him. Despite the lack of color and the general haziness of her form, it was easy to see when her expression changed from surprised disbelief to dismay to pure, unadulterated rage.

 

If she had been able to make a sound, Steve was sure that she would have awakened the entire compound with her wrath. Her misty, hazy outline actually became sharper, more focused as she unleashed her anger at Steve, screaming silently with everything she had, before flying directly at him with her fists raised.

 

Steve put his hands up in self-defense, not knowing what to expect, but felt only a cool breeze as her hands passed harmlessly over him. Opening his eyes, he saw her only for another second before she disappeared.

 

Standing there with his heart pounding, stunned at what had just happened, Steve looked around, but he was alone. Everything was as it had been before, quiet but for the hum of the machines, the regularly blinking lights being the only outward signs of activity.

 

When he finally broke free of his stupor, he walked slowly back to his chair, picking up the book he had left there. As he turned to face the door, a voice stopped him in his tracks.

 

T’Challa stood in the doorway. “It seems we have something to discuss, Captain,” he said in his quiet, serious way.

 

Steve sighed sadly, a sudden lump in his throat making it difficult to speak. He nodded instead, and followed the King out of the medical suite.

 

 


	2. The Breakdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here! I've stopped nit-picking! Finally! XD

 

She returned to the sound of anguished screaming; she was sitting bolt upright, her hands clenched in her hair, pulling harshly at the long, auburn strands, and her eyes were clenched shut, as if they were trying to block out the noise. The bed was shaking violently beneath her, the wooden frame cracking and splitting as if it were being crushed by a giant, invisible hand. All around her, everything in the room not bolted down had flown away from her, forcefully smashed against the walls or sent crashing through the window.

 

As she slowly came back to herself, she realized that it was not just her bed that was shaking, or even just her room—it was the entire building. Fire alarms were wailing and the lights were flashing in the otherwise dim room, startling her into wakefulness. Immediately, as she regained complete awareness of her surroundings, the shaking ceased.

 

Breathing hard, she looked around the room, surveying the damage. _This is bad_ , she thought. _Really, really bad_. Nothing in the room that she could see—of the items that were still technically inside the room, anyway—was undamaged, and the blown-out window was letting in the warm, Mediterranean night air. The walls themselves appeared to be bowed outward, away from where she had been laying on the now-flattened bed.

 

She scrambled off the mattress, stumbling unevenly across the rippled floor. Now she could hear people shouting outside her room, likely people on her floor, or even—as she listened closely—on other floors and outside. “Shit,” she whispered, racing for the corner of the room, where her laptop had been sitting on the desk—the desk that was now tipped on its side and pushed up against the wall, its legs crumpled and bent.

 

Pushing the desk out of the way, she found her laptop wedged between the desk chair and the wall, the padded seat having broken the laptop’s fall to the floor. Breathing a sigh of relief, she quickly brought up the hotel’s security camera system, and watched as people ran chaotically through the hotel, trying to find out what was happening.

 

Bringing up the control menu, she manually shut down all of the cameras in the hotel. Once they were off, she packed up her laptop and got dressed. Luckily, her suitcase, which she had left on the floor, merely slid to the end of the wall, all of her belongings still inside. She stowed away the weapons case and all of her toiletries, and then she put on her shoes.

 

Making sure she had all of her things, she moved to the door and listened. In addition to the wailing fire alarms, people were yelling back and forth, asking questions that no one knew the answers to. Taking a deep breath, she focused on calming down and concentrating on everyone in the hallway, and then she exhaled slowly and opened the door.

 

She walked out of her room, calmly pulling her luggage behind her, and made her way to the emergency stairway at the end of the hall. Several people of different nationalities asked her if she knew what was going on, but she didn’t answer; she simply shook her head, made her way to the exit, and left the hotel as quickly as possible, not speaking to anyone or allowing them to see her true face.

 

Becoming Annaliese Granges again when she hit the ground floor, as that identity’s information was quickly available, she left through a back door and turned to go up the alleyway to the street. Even though she was now on the opposite side of the hotel from where her room was located, the destruction was evident; chunks of concrete and shattered glass littered the asphalt, as well as some small furnishings, lamps, and even a chair lay smashed on the pavement. She put her head down and walked quickly to the front of the building.

 

Once she was on the main street, she walked down the block, past the emergency vehicles that were screaming toward the seriously damaged hotel, and flagged down a yellow taxicab. She had the driver take her to a hotel on the other side of the airport and she checked in with no difficulty, telling them that she would be there for two days. She needed to get out of Greece quickly, but first….

 

She entered her new hotel room, locking and bolting the door behind her, before her knees buckled underneath her and she sank to the floor, blacking out.

 

***

 

As Steve and T’Challa walked somberly toward the king’s offices, Steve’s phone chirped with an incoming message from Sam.

 

 

Sam W: _Where R U?_

 

Me: _Talking to HRH_

 

Sam W: _Something’s up. Wanda is flipping out._

 

 

Steve stopped in his tracks, reading the text with a frown. When T’Challa turned to look at him, his eyebrow arched questioningly, Steve said, “Can we take this discussion to the others? Something has happened. They’ll need to hear this, too.”

 

T’Challa acquiesced easily. “Certainly, Captain.”

 

 

Me: _Be right there_

 

Sam W: _OK_

 

 

They went to the wing that T’Challa had set aside for their use, finding Sam, Wanda, Clint, and Scott in the kitchen area around the medium-sized eat-in table. Wanda was shaking, tears running down her cheeks, and Clint was crouched down beside her, speaking quietly and rubbing her hands. Sam stood across the table from them with his arms folded across his chest, looking concerned, and Scott sat at the table, leaning on one hand, half-asleep.

 

“What’s going on?” Steve asked, coming to stand beside Sam. T’Challa stood next to Steve, his hands behind his back, watching them all carefully.

 

“It’s Lexi,” Wanda whispered, her voice cracking. “Something awful has just happened.”

 

Steve closed his eyes and sighed, swallowing hard.

 

“You don’t seem terribly surprised to hear this,” Sam said, and his tone, though not accusing, definitely held a note of reproach. “You want to tell us what the hell’s going on?”

 

Steve nodded, exhaling. “Yeah. Let’s move somewhere more comfortable. This is going to take a while.”

 

***

 

“I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for certain it was her,” Steve said, looking at his teammates, whose faces held expressions ranging from stunned disbelief to devastation.

 

They sat in the living area of his suite, with the door securely closed. He didn’t think anyone would be listening in, but Steve believed T’Challa when he said that the security in the compound was excellent, and he hadn’t wanted anything he’d said to be overheard or recorded.

 

“You’re sure?” Clint asked, looking worried. “You’re sure it’s her? I mean, did Barnes ever tell you she could do something like this?”

 

“I’m positive it’s her. And no,” Steve said, shaking his head slightly, “neither of them mentioned anything like this; but, to be honest, I’m sure they kept some things quiet.”

 

“You know how worried Lexi was about being seen as a potential weapon,” Sam said softly, looking completely gutted.

 

Wanda looked confused. “But didn’t you say that she couldn’t touch you, though?” she asked. “If she couldn’t touch you or hurt you, then—“

 

“She would have been a perfect reconnaissance scout,” Scott said, finally speaking. “She could find anyone, get in anywhere, with no way to stop her or defend against her. She could case a place from top to bottom and report back with no real risk of being seen unless she wanted to be, and no risk whatsoever of being injured,” he added. “Or, at least, you don’t think she’s injured.”

 

Sam nodded. “She could be used to gather any information she or anyone else wanted.”

 

Steve huffed a sad-sounding laugh, rubbing his hands over his face. “And all she wanted was to see Bucky.”

 

“We’ve always known she’s a good person, Steve,” Clint said. “She’s never used what she could do to hurt anyone.”

 

“Maybe not before,” Steve said, “but she’s…different now. Tony said—“

 

“Tony?” Sam interrupted sharply, his eyes hardening.

 

“Yeah,” Steve sighed. “He called me a few days ago. Lexi’s disappeared. She left HQ and they have no idea where she is.”

 

Over the next hour, as the sun started to rise outside the windows, he filled them in on the entirety of the phone call he’d had with Tony; Wanda wiped more tears away when he told them of Lexi’s collapse and her strange behavior afterward, nodding sadly. As the others asked him questions that he did his best to answer, he heard a strange chirping noise coming from the center drawer of the desk in the corner of the room.

 

Steve looked at it, his brow furrowed in confusion. When he heard the noise again, he jumped up and went to the desk and opened the drawer.

 

_Incoming Call._

 

With Tony’s phone number.

 

“It’s Tony,” Steve said, his heart starting to pound as he pressed the ‘Accept’ icon. “Tony,” he said by way of greeting.

 

“Have you been watching the news out of Athens, Greece?” Tony said immediately. “Sounds like it might be our girl.”

 

“What?” Steve asked, confused. “What happened?”

 

“Turn on the news,” Tony told him, “get caught up. I’m going to call the Greek authorities, see if they have any information they’re not releasing to the public. I’ll call back when I find out what’s going on.”

 

And just like that, Tony hung up.

 

Steve looked at the phone, bewildered, before he set it down on the desk and moved toward the never-used television that sat in the opposite corner of the room. Picking up the remote, he turned the TV on and asked T’Challa, “International news?”

 

The King gave Steve a channel number, and he pushed the buttons accordingly. As soon as the news channel came on, they were looking at a building—or what was left of a building, anyway. One side of the structure, a hotel, showed serious damage; cracked support beams, the concrete façade falling away in places, dozens of windows blown out, some with curtains fluttering in the breeze, or with furniture hanging halfway out. They listened as the journalist spoke:

 

_“A bizarre incident early this morning at a hotel in Athens, Greece, has left dozens of people with minor injuries and authorities completely baffled. What residents of the hotel thought was an earthquake or possibly even an erupting volcano was instead an isolated incident, centered, it would seem, around one room. Pictures taken of the outside of the building as day breaks show dozens of rooms on one side of the hotel with damage, and at least a dozen more on the other side. People inside the hotel say the number is much higher, quite possibly every room in the hotel suffering some form of damage. What we have confirmed is that the room at the center of this incident has been completely destroyed, though by what, no one seems to know.”_

 

A person staying inside the hotel spoke next. “ _The room started shaking, lamps falling over, things falling off the walls. Then I could hear screaming, a woman screaming like she was being murdered, and all at once the windows shattered and everything on one side of the room flew to the other side of the room and crashed into the wall. The fire alarms started going off, and the whole time that everything was shaking I could still hear that woman screaming. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped screaming and was quiet, and then everything else stopped, too—the shaking and everything flying around, all of it just stopped.”_

 

The journalist came back on then. _“Authorities have suggested that it may be the result of some type of explosive, yet a search of the room in question has yielded no evidence of any type of device.”_

 

They watched for several minutes more, as pictures from inside the hotel began to come out. The cameraperson entered the room in question, panning back and forth, documenting the destruction. Every piece of furniture in the room was flattened, crushed against walls that curved outward; even the floor and ceiling was warped and distorted.

 

“Jesus Christ,” Sam whispered, wide-eyed, looking at the wreckage on the screen. “Tony thinks Lexi did this?” he asked Steve. “Is it even possible?”

 

“They’re saying it happened at just after one a.m.,” Clint said, frowning.

 

“That would be two a.m. here,” Steve nodded. “That’s when I saw Lexi in Bucky’s room.”

 

“It was her,” Wanda said quietly. “I haven’t felt her at all until this. She was…devastated. Utterly devastated.”

 

“Can you still feel her?” Steve asked.

 

Wanda sat quietly for a few moments, her eyes closed, sorting through the tangle of thoughts and emotions cluttering up her mind. “Yes,” she said slowly, “I think she is asleep, or just not conscious right now. But earlier…she seemed…strange, somehow.” She frowned in confusion. “I know it’s her, but she just feels…I don’t know how to describe it. Her thoughts don’t feel like they are hers alone.”

 

“What do you mean?” Sam asked, concerned.

 

“It’s almost like there are two separate kinds of thoughts in her mind,” Wanda replied, shaking her head. “One is jumbled and chaotic, scared and upset. The other is…placated.”

 

“Placated? Like, happy?” Scott repeated, bewildered. When Clint raised an eyebrow in his direction, he said, “What? I know words.”

 

“Satisfied, calm, almost soothed, in a way,” Wanda said, her brow furrowed. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

 

“And you’re sure it’s all Lexi?” Steve inquired. “All this is coming from her?”

 

“Yes, I’m positive,” Wanda answered.

 

They all exchanged uneasy glances until Steve’s phone began chirping again, and he went to retrieve it from the desk where he’d left it. “Yeah, Tony,” he answered.

 

“Okay,” Tony began, “here’s what the Greek police are telling me. According to hotel records, the room at the center of this mess was occupied by a Miss Jocasta Achyrónes, which I’m probably mispronouncing. Witnesses say Miss A checked in last night and was accosted in the lobby by a local man, a Greek National. A couple of people have come forward to say that Miss A shot this guy down hard, and that he didn’t seem very happy about it. The Feds are talking to him right now. Bottom line, there’s currently no sign of her.”

 

“I need to tell you something, Tony,” Steve said. “Something happened here.”

 

Steve told Tony about the misty form that he had just encountered in the medical suite. “It was definitely Lexi. I don’t know how, but it was her. According to—“ he broke off, looking at T’Challa. “I mean, um, apparently she’s done this a few times before. Several people have seen her.”

 

Tony huffed a tired-sounding laugh. “Jesus. She’s full of surprises, isn’t she? There’s something else you should probably know, then, too. Secretary Ross came for her. He showed up at HQ with Talbot—he was going to turn Lexi over to the ATCU.”

 

Steve swore loudly, drawing the stunned attention of everyone in the room. After a moment, Tony continued. “Lexi left her phone here, so I was able to call her parents and warn them; told her mom that they needed to split before Ross came for them, too.”

 

“Thanks, Tony,” Steve said. “I know that will mean a lot to her.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Tony demurred, brushing off the kind words. “I’ll let you know what else I hear from the Greek police.”

 

“Okay,” Steve said. “Thanks.”

 

***

 

A couple of hours later, she woke up on the floor, stiff and sore. She crawled over to the bed and pulled herself up with a groan, flopping onto its only-slightly-softer surface. _I hate hotel beds,_ she thought. They were always too firm. Nothing like the bed she had shared with Bucky at home. She had loved their bed; soft and warm, cradling them as they whispered and laughed together; as he held her close and kissed her and told her over and over that he loved her, his _sokrovishche,_ his treasure….

 

Her breath hitched as a sob broke free. The betrayal she felt was like a lead weight, crushing her heart. How could Steve be a party to this? How could he have let this happen? Why did Steve think forcing Bucky back into cryostasis was the answer?

 

Her brain churned, everything feeling disjointed and jumbled. She cried at not knowing what could possibly have occurred to make Steve turn on his best friend.

 

Still exhausted by what had already happened that night, she fell back into an uneasy sleep, her tears dampening the pillow.

 

***

 

Steve, Sam, Clint, Wanda, and Scott were just finishing breakfast when Tony called again. T’Challa had returned to his office, asking that Steve keep him up to date on what was happening. “If this woman is coming here,” the King warned, “I expect you to be honest with me.” Steve had nodded, understanding.

 

“Latest word,” Tony said. “Local playboy says that yes, he followed Miss A up to her room, to apologize he says, but when he got there, she was already waiting. He didn’t even knock before she had the door open and a semi-automatic handgun pointed right at his face. He says he turned and high-tailed it out of the hotel. Security footage corroborates his story.”

 

Steve had put the phone on speaker so everyone could listen in, and the shock on his face was mirrored by everyone except Scott, who said, with an impressed expression, “This chick sounds like a badass.”

 

Everyone shushed him, and Tony continued. “The hotel manager got a call from Miss Achyrónes after the guy left, requesting a room change. The manager went up to her room and personally escorted her to a new room on a different floor—the room that is now in the middle of this mess. The hotel manager left, and that’s the last anyone has seen of her.”

 

“How about after everything happened?” Sam asked. “No one saw her leave?”

 

“People staying on that floor of the hotel say that a woman walked out of that room a few minutes after the shaking stopped,” Tony said, “but it wasn’t the woman the hotel manager or even the local playboy described. They say she was calm, fully dressed, had her luggage, didn’t speak to anyone—just walked to the stairs and left. Here’s the thing, though; descriptions of this woman vary from person to person—like, wildly vary. The only thing they can all agree on is that it was a woman. It’s almost like everyone saw a completely different person. And, naturally, all of the security cameras cut out a minute before she left the room.”

 

“That sounds like Lexi’s M.O.,” Clint said softly, and the others in the room nodded.

 

“It is,” Tony agreed. “I’m going to keep a close eye on this. Ross will likely be there soon. Whether he thinks this thing in Athens is Lexi or not, he’s still going to investigate—it has all the earmarks of either an Inhuman or an enhanced individual. If it really was her, I’ll do what I can to keep him off her trail.”

 

“Where do you think she went?” Steve asked.

 

Tony was quiet for a moment, then said, “It was the middle of the night there, and that kind of energy burst would have knocked her on her ass, so I’m thinking she might have gone to a different hotel as quickly as possible to lay low and rest. I’ll check around, see if any of the nearby hotels had a single woman check in by herself within an hour or so of the accident.”

 

“Good plan,” Steve said. “Thanks, Tony.”

 

After they ended the call, the group sitting in Steve’s living room looked at each other, questions all over their faces. Finally Wanda spoke. “What do we do now?” she asked.

 

Steve sighed. “As furious as she was, she must think we forced Bucky back into cryo against his will.”

 

Sam asked, “How do we let her know what’s really going on here? Leave her a note?”

 

“A note is too impersonal—we don’t want her to read this, in there all by herself. I’ll talk to her,” Clint said. “She’s going to keep checking on him, but if she thinks he’s in there against his will, I doubt she’s going to listen to you, Steve. I’ll give it a try; tell her what happened, that it was his choice.”

 

“You don’t think she’ll get even more upset if she finds out he insisted on going under?” Steve asks.

 

“She’s going to find out eventually,” Sam says. “You said it yourself—she’s probably on her way here. Would you rather she know the truth now, while she’s still hundreds of miles away—or when she’s physically here, trying to break him out of that tube?” He gestured toward the television. “I mean, look what she did to that hotel.”

 

Steve hung his head. “Shit.”

 

“Yeah,” Clint sighed. “This is gonna hurt.”

 

“T’Challa’s people are working on figuring out how to get those trigger words out of Bucky’s head,” Steve said.

 

“I hope they work fast,” Sam said sadly, shaking his head.

 

***

 

Tony got to work, locating every hotel within a twenty-mile radius of the Athens International Airport, of which there were several dozen. Once he had a list, he asked FRIDAY to discreetly examine their check-in logs to determine whether any women, traveling alone, had checked in between one-fifteen a.m. and three a.m., local time.

 

It took several hours, but FRIDAY was able to get him a list. As luck would have it, nine single women had checked in to hotels near the airport during that time, and of that, only two weren’t flight attendants, and of those two, only one appeared to be under the age of sixty.

 

“FRIDAY, what can you get me on this one? Annaliese Granges?”

 

Within seconds, FRIDAY brought up a file containing a probably completely fabricated life history, though no one else would know that. Tony whistled, impressed by the thoroughness of Lexi’s preparations. He noted the last previous time her French National Identity Card had been used was the day after she disappeared from HQ, when she checked into a hotel in Paris, France.

 

“Gotcha, girlie,” Tony smiled at her ID picture. If he looked at her features closely, he could still see a tiny resemblance to the woman he knew. Noting her current hotel and its location, he called out, “Hey, FRIDAY, what’s the fastest way for me to get to Athens, Greece?”

 

“The Mark-47 can travel roughly 3,713 miles per hour,” FRIDAY responded. “The distance from this location to Athens, Greece, is approximately 4,921 miles. You would arrive in just over one hour and twenty minutes, by eleven a.m., local time.”

 

“Get it ready to go,” Tony said, standing up from his desk and heading to the coffee machine. “I’ve got a wayward physical therapist to round up.”

 

“Bring her back safe, Boss,” FRIDAY said.

 

“Aww, FRIDAY,” he teased, “do you miss her?”

 

“She’s more interesting to talk to than you are,” the A.I. snarked at him.

 

Tony chuckled. “Yeah,” he sighed, “I miss her, too.”

 

***

 

When she woke again, sunlight was streaming into the window. She forced herself to her feet, grabbing her satchel off the floor. Taking out her laptop, she canceled her flight reservation, knowing she would need at least another day to recover. She simply felt too shaky to handle a flight at the moment.

 

After that was handled, she called down to room service to get some breakfast delivered, and then she took a shower. By the time she was dressed, the food had arrived; she ate slowly, breaking into hotel security to check out the camera feeds. Everything was quiet and calm.

 

She knew she couldn’t stay there, however; the unexplained destruction of the hotel in the city was a major headline on all the news sites. If anybody was actively looking for her ( _Tony,_ her brain helpfully supplied), he would know to zero in on this kind of disturbance.

 

She went into her suitcase and brought out her cache of false identities. ‘Jocasta Achyrónes’ was pretty much useless to her at this point; the Greek authorities would be looking for that one. ‘Gianna Fienili’ was a viable option; still dark-haired, which would blend in with the locals and give her time to figure out what she needed to do. She had to find out what was really going on in Wakanda before she made a move on it.

 

She located a nearby hotel, checking in under her new identity, and then she added a little something to throw off anyone searching or her. She had already told the reception desk at her current lodgings that she would be here for two days, so they wouldn’t even think to look for her until tomorrow.

 

She packed up quickly, again, and at ten-forty a.m., slipped out the door and was gone.

 

***

 

Tony came in over the Mediterranean, appreciating the deep azure waters as he flew over the city. “Find the hotel for me, FRIDAY,” he said, his Head’s-Up Display scanning every building is sight.

 

“Check your two o’clock,” FRIDAY replied. Tony looked east-northeast and found the outlined structure.

 

“Got it,” Tony said, veering slightly to his right and heading straight for it. He landed on the roof, stepping out of his armor when the front opened. He straightened out his suit, shot his cuffs, and pulled his sunglasses out of his breast pocket. He checked his watch as he walked over to the access door. Ten fifty-five a.m.

 

He walked in and headed down the flight of stairs that would take him to Lexi’s floor. “Double-check the room number, FRIDAY?” he asked.

 

“Room six-twenty-two,” the A.I. answered, her voice coming to him via the tiny earpiece he was wearing.

 

Tony made it down to the sixth floor and entered the hallway, checking room numbers as he made his way toward the elevator. Room six-thirty, six-twenty-eight…three more doors…and six-twenty-two. “Time to come home, honey,” he whispered, and then he knocked on the door.

 

***

 

She had just gotten in a cab and was crawling through late-morning traffic, when suddenly the driver leaned forward and shouted, pointing wildly through the windshield, “ _Koíta! Den eínai aftós o Iron Man?_ ” (“Look! Isn’t that Iron Man?”)

 

She held her breath as the driver continued to point at the red-and-gold suit flying over the city—and heading straight to the hotel she had just left. _Shit, shit, shit,_ she thought to herself, quickly going over everything she’d done in her head. How had he found her so quickly? What had she done that had led him to— _oh, yeah._ Destroying a hotel—and then immediately checking into another one—was probably not the smartest thing she could have done.

 

Sighing in relief that she had fixed that problem at least, she leaned back against the seat and listened to the driver’s excited rambling as he made his way across town.

 

***

 

When there was no response to Tony’s knock, he pushed a button on the side of his sunglasses. “Thermal imaging,” he said in a low voice.

 

“There’s no one inside,” FRIDAY replied.

 

Swearing under his breath, he reached out with his left hand and took hold of the doorknob. His watch ran through a series of projected digital patterns until the key card reader disengaged and he turned the levered handle, opening the door.

 

The first thing he saw was the key card to the room sitting on the table. A tray and dishes from room service sat on the bed. A quick peek into the bathroom showed no personal toiletries of any kind, and there was no luggage to be seen. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he could still smell her lotion—the distinctive cocoa butter and vanilla scent that suited her so well—so he knew she hadn’t left long ago.

 

Leaving the room as he found it, Tony walked back the way he came and climbed the stairs back up to the roof again. “Any chance we can track her down?” Tony asked. Dammit, he’d been so close.

 

“I’m fairly certain I’ve found her next hotel reservation,” FRIDAY said.

 

“Really?” Tony asked, surprised. “That was fast.” He opened the roof access door.

 

“I’ve come across the name Antonella Graneros,” FRIDAY told him hesitantly. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that ‘Antonella’ is the Spanish female version of ‘Anthony.’”

 

“Probably not, and the last name is really close to the one she just used,” Tony said, frowning slightly as he climbed back into his Iron Man suit. “What’s the problem?”

 

“She’s checked into every single hotel in Athens that had a vacancy,” the A.I said, “and they all say she’s arrived.”

 

Tony’s shoulders slumped. “How many are we talking here?” he asked, discouraged.

 

“Over a thousand,” FRIDAY answered. “She could be literally anywhere.”

 

“Or nowhere,” Tony sighed. “She might not be in any of them.”

 

“This is also true,” FRIDAY agreed. “Sorry, Boss.”

 

“So, basically,” Tony said, “we have no way of knowing where she is unless she destroys something else, is that it?”

 

“I’ll keep looking for unusual activity,” FRIDAY said.

 

As Tony flew back toward New York, he couldn’t help but think that he’d have to tell Steve that he missed her. He had to disappoint Steve again.

 

***

 

A couple of days later, and as far as they knew, Lexi hadn’t come back to visit Bucky in the medical suite. “Maybe she just needed some time to recover or something,” Clint said.

 

“I wish Tony’d been able to get to her before she vanished again,” Sam sighed, shaking his head.

 

“Don’t blame Tony,” Steve said. “It’s a miracle he tracked her down at all. She’s not going to be easy to find, even under the best of circumstances.”

 

They had worked on a letter, or script of sorts, for Clint to read to Lexi for several hours, agonizing over every word, hoping they could explain the situation without upsetting her too much.

 

 

_Lexi,_

_We wish we could talk to you in person about this, so that we could tell you what is going on, but Tony says you’ve disappeared from HQ and no one knows where you are._

_We’re so sorry. You must be so confused about everything that has happened. We’ll try to explain it as best we can._

 

 

The letter went on to describe what had happened in Berlin, that Zemo had found trigger words Hydra had created to control the Winter Soldier; even though Zemo was in Interpol’s custody and they had taken the notebook he used to manipulate Bucky, they had no idea how many copies of the notebook were still out there.

 

 

_We spoke to T’Challa, the King, and his sister, Shuri, and they think they can figure out a way to get the trigger words out of his Bucky’s head. Bucky decided to go back into cryo while they searched for the answer._

_Bucky chose to do this. He thought it was best that he be asleep, where no one could use him or manipulate him, while Shuri worked on deactivating Hydra’s programming._

_He’s perfectly safe here. You need to believe that we would never have agreed to this if we weren’t sure he would be safe. No one else knows he’s here, and T’Challa has said that he will defend Bucky against anyone that might try to come after him._

_Please come home, Lexi. We’re so worried about you and can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you. Bucky would never forgive himself if you were hurt._

_We love you, and hope we hear from you soon._

 

***

 

She rested for another four days; maybe five, she wasn’t sure at this point. When she finally felt strong enough, she prepared for bed, anxious to see Bucky again. She laid down on another uncomfortable hotel bed, trying to relax; she took a deep breath, exhaled—and flew.

 

***

 

Steve woke up in the morning to find Clint asleep on the couch in his quarters. Frowning in confusion, he walked over and shook his shoulder. “Clint,” he said.

 

The archer opened one eye and looked up at him. “Hey, Cap,” he said, his voice rough and scratchy.

 

“What’s up?” He knew better than to ask how or why he was there; Clint could get anywhere he wanted with little to no difficulty. He probably could have gotten himself and the others out of The Raft even without Steve’s help, given enough time.

 

“Our visitor came by last night,” Clint replied, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

 

“You saw her? Talked to her?” Steve asked, sitting in the chair by the sofa.

 

“Yeah, and you’re right. It’s definitely Lexi.”

 

“So what happened? Did she listen to you?”

 

“I’m pretty sure she got the gist of it, but she’s not happy about it. It looked like she was crying when I started telling her that Bucky chose to go under,” Clint sighed. “After that I decided to wing it, just tried to reassure her that he was safe here.”

 

Steve exhaled and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Anything else?” he asked.

 

“I told her we love her and want her to be safe. To call Tony and to watch out for Ross and Talbot—that they were after her. I told her that Tony had warned her mom, too.”

 

Steve swallowed hard and frowned, nodding as he stared at the floor. “Good, okay. Yeah, that would probably be for the best. Tony could get her somewhere safe.”

 

Clint nodded. “He would.”

 

***

 

She opened her eyes. She took a deep breath, feeling the drying tracks of the tears on her face as she stared at the ceiling for several long, silent minutes, replaying everything Clint had said in her mind.

 

So that was the truth of it.

 

Bucky had chosen to go back into cryostasis. To leave her.

 

She waited for something to happen—rage, despair, anything. But there was nothing. It was like a lead curtain had fallen over her heart, crushing any emotion she had ever had. Finding Steve in the medical suite had felt like the worst possible kind of betrayal; she almost laughed at that thought now. This…this felt like a part of her had died. She felt absolutely nothing, and couldn’t even find it in herself to care.

 

Even hearing that Ross had decided to turn her over to the ATCU meant nothing—she wasn’t even surprised. At least Tony had been able to warn her parents; she owed him for that.

 

She sat up on the bed and looked down. The sheets she had been lying on were torn, her fingers having ripped clean through them. She sighed tiredly, turning and dropping her feet over the side of the bed, and she looked around the room. A few items had fallen over, unfastened furnishings were pushed around a bit, but that was all.

 

_Well, at least I didn’t destroy the whole hotel this time._

 

She packed up her bags and left the hotel. Not even pausing to look back, she went to the airport and booked a flight back to Paris.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So who's seen Ant-Man and the Wasp? I watched it Thursday night and Saturday afternoon--it's fantastic! No spoilers, but a huge and weird coincidence, I had no idea when I wrote the last couple of chapters for RYAR that the main villain in AM&TW would the "The Ghost" and that her name was Ava. Seriously. Weird.
> 
> And yes, the 'person staying inside the hotel' does sound a lot like Luis. XD
> 
> And, though I forgot to mention it at the end of Chapter 1...any errors in foreign language translation are the property of Google Translate. :D
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	3. The End of Team Cap

 

“Hey, Cap,” Sam said, nodding to Steve as he wandered into the kitchen. “Have you already checked the feed today?”

 

Steve nodded and then sighed. “Still nothing.”

 

It had been over a month since Lexi had last visited Bucky. They checked the video feeds for the medical suite every morning, looking for the misty apparition to float in, however briefly, but there had been nothing since she had seen Clint and learned the truth.

 

Sam was watching him. “You alright?”

 

“Still feeling guilty as hell,” Steve sighed. “I keep wracking my brain, wondering what we could have done or said differently to not upset her so much.” He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.

 

“I don’t think there’s any way we could have told her—without flat-out lying—that would have made it easier for her to find out,” Sam said, shrugging. “She knows the truth now. She’s a smart girl—she’ll understand the reasoning behind it, even if she’s not happy about it.”

 

“We’re talking about Lexi and Bucky here,” Steve said, smiling sadly. “It’s not about reason. She loves him.”

 

“Yeah, I guess she does make some questionable decisions sometimes,” Sam smirked as he took a sip of coffee. When Steve just quirked an eyebrow at him, as if to say, _Really?_ Sam just laughed and said, “I’m kidding, man, calm down.”

 

“Good morning, gentlemen,” a deep, melodious voice said.

 

Sam and Steve looked up to see T’Challa entering the room, a pleasant smile on his face. They greeted him respectfully and Steve offered to get him some coffee, which he politely declined.

 

“I’m actually here to let you know that you have a visitor,” he said, smiling. He turned toward the hallway.

 

Sam and Steve looked at each other, wide-eyed. Could it be? Could Lexi have just shown up?

 

“Hi there, boys,” Nat said, strolling into the kitchen holding a large manila envelope and sporting a new blonde hairstyle.

 

“Nat! Hey!” Sam grinned, jumping up from his chair to give her a hug. Steve followed suit, thrilled to see her.

 

“You look great,” Steve said. “I like your hair.”

 

Nat shrugged. “I needed a change. The red was too high-visibility.” Backing up, she looked at both men and narrowed her eyes at them. “You were hoping for someone else,” she said observationally.

 

“Not hoping,” Steve said, trying to reassure her. “We were just discussing Lexi and thought, maybe….”

 

“Lexi is coming here?” she asked, looking back and forth between the two men. “Have you spoken with her?”

 

“Sort of?” Sam said, his head tilting back and forth a bit.

 

Steve sighed. “It’s a really long story. Do you want some coffee?”

 

“First things first,” Nat said, all business. “I need to see the others.”

 

“Others?” Steve asked, blinking innocently.

 

“Don’t play coy, Rogers,” Nat said flatly. “Clint, Wanda, and Lang. I need to talk to them.”

 

“Can I ask what about?” Steve asked.

 

“I have an offer for them—and you, Sam—from Secretary of State Ross.”

 

Sam snorted in derision and Steve narrowed his eyes angrily. “You know he can’t be trusted, right?”

 

“It’s a written offer,” Nat replied matter-of-factly. “Everything is on the table.”

 

“From him? That doesn’t mean anything,” Steve said angrily. “He’s probably the biggest reason Lexi’s in hiding now.”

 

“What?” Nat said, frowning. “What are you talking about?”

 

Steve tilted his head, a little confused. “Didn’t Tony tell you about this?”

 

“Tony and I haven’t had much time to talk about anything,” she said. “Just short, to-the-point text messages, that’s it.”

 

“Ross came for Lexi. He was going to give her to Talbot and the ATCU,” Steve said, sneering.

 

Nat paused for a moment before muttering, “Well, shit.” She took a deep breath and said, “I gave my word that I would deliver the offer. Any advice I give on whether to accept the offer is my own.”

 

“Good enough,” Steve nodded. He looked at Sam. “Can you send a group text? Ask them to come in here?”

 

“Sure,” Sam said, taking his phone out of his pocket. He sent the message and within a minute had heard from all of them. “They’re on their way.”

 

***

 

After hugs from Clint and Wanda—and a nervous wave at a safe distance from Scott—they all sat at the table to talk. T’Challa sat with them, ready to listen and answer any questions they might have about their welcome in Wakanda.

 

“So here’s the deal,” Nat began, pulling out a sheaf of papers. “Clint, Sam, and Lang, you’re being offered house arrest—for a period of time to be determined—in exchange for keeping your mouths shut.”

 

“’To be determined’?” Clint asked, confused. “By who?”

 

“That will be figured out by your lawyers,” Nat said.

 

“Well, there are a couple of issues there for me already,” Scott said, his eyebrow quirked. “I don’t have a house or a lawyer.”

 

“Actually, you do,” Nat said, pulling out a letter. “Your ex-wife and her husband, Margaret and James Paxton, have arranged a rental home for you, and all lawyers and legal fees will be paid by Tony Stark.”

 

“ _What?_ ” they all shouted in disbelief.

 

“You can’t be serious,” Clint said, stunned.

 

“Guys,” Nat sighed, pushing her hair back, away from her face, “from what I can gather, Tony feels awful about what happened. He wants to help make it right.” When they continued to scoff, she said exasperatedly, “How do you think I got here? It’s not like I flew commercial.”

 

“He gave you a quinjet?” Steve asked dubiously.

 

“ _’Gave’_ might be too strong a word,” Nat smirked, “but he didn’t put up much of a fight when I showed up and borrowed one unexpectedly.”

 

Steve just smiled and shook his head.

 

“Well, I don’t trust it, not one—“ Scott began.

 

“Tell me about the offer,” Clint interrupted, looking serious.

 

This didn’t surprise anyone, really. Out of all of them, Clint had the most to lose. So Nat gave him the rundown of the deal, and when she was done, he nodded and said, “I have to take it. I owe it to Laura and the kids.”

 

“We’ll make sure it works out for you,” Nat promised him. He gave her a little smile in return.

 

“I couldn’t help but notice that Wanda wasn’t included in that offer,” Steve said, looking at Nat evenly.

 

“No, she’s not,” Nat said slowly, taking another stack of papers from the envelope and sliding them toward Wanda. After a few moments, she said, “Wanda would have to surrender to military custody—“

 

Suddenly the group was in uproar, everyone yelling; finally Steve shouted, “Everyone, enough!” When they had all quieted down, he turned to Nat and said, “Obviously, that’s not going to happen.”

 

“Why can’t she come with me?” Clint offered. “Stay on the farm. Laura and the kids would love to have her.”

 

“You, Sam, and Scott aren’t enhanced and you’re not Inhumans,” Nat said, shaking her head. “Ross is insisting that Wanda come in for registration, prints and DNA, and a power analysis. She’ll also have to wear a tracking bracelet.”

 

“Absolutely not,” Steve said firmly, shaking his head. “That isn’t happening.”

 

“You are more than welcome to remain here, Miss Maximoff,” T’Challa said, offering his first words since the discussion began.

 

“I appreciate that,” Wanda said, shaking her head, “but I can’t stay here forever.”

 

“You can’t actually be considering this,” Clint said, gesturing to the paperwork on the table before her.

 

“I’m not,” Wanda said, huffing a laugh. She smiled at him. “I’ve got other plans.”

 

“What other plans?” Sam asked, frowning.

 

When Wanda blushed, Clint grinned broadly. “You sly kitten,” he drawled, chuckling. “How the hell are you even talking to him?”

 

“What?” Steve asked, confused. “Talking to who? What did I miss?”

 

“Captain Clueless has returned,” Sam snickered, and Nat smacked him on the arm, even as she tried to suppress her own smile.

 

“He holds the Mind Stone, I got my powers from the Mind Stone,” Wanda shrugged, smiling shyly. “We can…communicate.”

 

“Wait,” Steve said, bewildered. “You and—and Vision?”

 

Wanda blushed again and nodded as Steve continued to sit there, looking rather bewildered with the turn the conversation had taken, when Scott chimed in.

 

“He’s the guy with the pink skin, right?” he asked. “Isn’t he a robot?”

 

“He’s an artificial being,” Wanda said, frowning. “That doesn’t make him any less of a person.”

 

“Is he even…” he trailed off, raising his eyebrows and waving his hands around a bit.

 

“Even what?” Wanda asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

 

“Anatomically correct?” Scott finished, looking at everyone as if his question should have been obvious.

 

“Dude!” Sam yelled, as Nat and Clint both reached over and smacked Scott on the head and Wanda just hid her face in embarrassment.

 

“Oh, my god,” Steve sighed, covering his eyes. “No more inappropriate questions—I’m serious,” he said sternly. “Wanda,” he went on, his voice much kinder, “are you sure about this?”

 

“Yes,” Wanda said, nodding. “We want to try.”

 

“I don’t have a problem with it,” Nat said, “but we’ll need to lay down some ground rules; keeping in touch, staying in the agreed-upon area, that kind of thing.”

 

“Of course,” she said, smiling.

 

“Okay, then,” Steve nodded at her, and then he turned to Lang. “Scott? What do you think?”

 

“Do you really think this is an honest offer?” he asked Nat, tapping the paperwork.

 

“I do,” she said. “If you agree to it, I’ll be taking you to San Francisco tomorrow. Federal agents will meet you and your lawyer there to discuss the terms of your house arrest.” At his continued uncertain look, she added, “You’ll get to live in the same city as your daughter, Scott. You’ll have unrestricted visiting privileges with her. This isn’t something most people get.”

 

“Yeah,” he said finally, “you’re right. I need to think of Cassie.” He looked around at everyone and nodded. “I’ll do it.”

 

“What about you, Sam?” Steve asked his friend. “You’ve been pretty quiet about all this.”

 

Sam quirked his eyebrows and shrugged. “I don’t have kids back home that need me,” he said. “House arrest for me would just be…me, knocking around in an apartment all by myself.” He leaned back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. “Doesn’t sound very appealing.”

 

“So what are you going to do?” Steve asked.

 

“We don’t need to search for Barnes anymore, so that’s off the table,” he joked, “but whatever else you’ve got planned, Cap? I’m game.”

 

“You sure?” Steve looked at him seriously. “Ross won’t give you another offer.”

 

“I’m sure,” Sam grinned. “I go where you go, just slower.”

 

“Alright then,” Steve smiled, nodding.

 

“So now that everything’s been decided,” Nat said, looking at Steve, “you want to get me some coffee and tell me what’s going on with Lexi?”

 

***

 

“Thank you for everything, Your Highness,” Steve said, shaking T’Challa’s hand firmly.

 

Wanda, Clint, and Scott were all on the quinjet, strapping in and getting ready to leave. Steve, Sam, and Nat stood outside with T’Challa, saying their goodbyes.

 

“You are quite welcome, Captain Rogers,” he replied, grinning agreeably. “Should you ever require assistance, know that you can always contact me.”

 

“And this is where I come in,” a mischievous female voice said.

 

They all turned to see Shuri walking toward them, carrying a small box, which she handed to Steve. He looked inside and saw six identical phones, each one with a name on the touchscreen.

 

“I’ve created these for you to use,” she said to Steve, Sam, and Nat. “They are untrackable, untraceable, and already set to your individual biometrics, so no one else can ever use them. I also set them to accept your current phone numbers, so you don’t have to switch or deactivate anything. If there is an emergency, you and your friends can contact either T’Challa or me with them as well.”

 

“Thank you,” Steve said, handing the box to Sam, who made an excited _“Ooh!”_ sound when he looked at them.

 

“Any idea where you will be heading?” T’Challa asked.

 

“After we drop our friends off,” Steve said, tipping his head toward the quinjet, “we’ll be following up on some leads into Chitauri-based weaponry that has been showing up in Europe and the Middle East.”

 

“That sounds dangerous,” Shuri said, concerned.

 

“It’s more dangerous to allow those weapons to fall into the wrong hands,” Steve stated.

 

“That sounded like your ‘Captain America’ voice,” Sam joked.

 

“Not a Captain of anywhere these days,” Steve said, shaking his head and shrugging a little. “We’re going to be a little too nomadic for that, I think.”

 

“We’ll come up with a cool-sounding nickname for you, don’t worry,” Nat winked at him.

 

***

 

“So you understand the deal here, right?” Nat asked Wanda, looking her straight in the eyes. “You check in regularly. You stay where you say you’re going to be. No sneaking off, no staying out past curfew.”

 

Wanda huffed a laugh and rolled her eyes a bit. “Got it, Mom.”

 

“Don’t sass me, girl, or I will ground you for a month,” Nat said, a smile tugging up the corner of her lips.

 

This was their third and final stop, having dropped off Clint at the farm with Laura and the kids, and Scott in San Francisco with his daughter. It had clearly been the right decision for both men; the absolute joy on their faces at seeing their children left no doubt of that.

 

Laura had hugged Nat, thanking her for bringing Clint home. Nat, in turn, had promised that the lawyer Tony was sending would make sure Clint was treated fairly. They had all stayed for dinner, and when the time came for the delivery party to go, Clint had shaken hands all around, hugging Wanda—and reminding her that she was always welcome on the farm—and Nat. He had teared up a little as he whispered in Nat’s ear, and Steve could see that the former KGB spy was having some trouble keeping her emotions wrapped up tight as well.

 

That was when it really hit Steve; the Avengers were really, truly over. Clint was retired, for good this time, Thor and Bruce had been gone for years, and Tony…. Well, they had managed to be civil to each other while trying to find Lexi, but Steve doubted they could really be on truly friendly terms ever again. He and Nat were all that was left of the original six.

 

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he nodded at Sam and tilted his head in the direction of the quinjet. The two men walked up the ramp and Sam quietly asked, “You okay, Cap?”

 

A tiny smile quirked the corner of his lips. Sam was never going to stop calling him that, was he?

 

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Just kind of felt the finality of the moment there.”

 

Sam clapped him on the shoulder. “One adventure ends, another adventure begins,” he said, smiling kindly.

 

They had dropped off Scott in San Francisco next, and that goodbye wasn’t as hard, as they hadn’t known Scott very long. Still, they all smiled as his daughter, Cassie, had raced across Golden Gate Field as soon as the quinjet had touched down and launched herself into her father’s arms.

 

His ex-wife, Maggie, and her new husband, James Paxton, had shaken all their hands and thanked them for bringing Scott back in one piece, and Cassie had told them all about her giant pet ant.

 

They wished Scott well and assured them all that the lawyer would take care of him, and then the last four got back on the quinjet and took off again—for Europe, this time.

 

So now, as they were coming in over Scotland and Nat was giving Wanda her last-minute pep talk, Steve was guiding Sam to a large, open, field of green.

 

“Where are we?” Sam asked.

 

“Edinburgh,” Steve said, checking his coordinates again. “A park called The Meadows. That,” he said, pointing to a row of trees, “should be Middle Meadow Walk. That’s where she told us to drop her off.”

 

Sam maneuvered carefully and the quinjet touched down.

 

Almost before the quinjet was on the ground, a tall, blond man stepped out of the trees in front of them, seemingly waiting. He raised his hand in a wave as a greeting.

 

“What the hell?” Sam asked in disbelief.

 

Steve wouldn’t have believed it himself, had there not been a glowing golden gem in the middle of the blond man’s forehead.

 

They lowered the ramp and Wanda ran out, leaping into the man’s arms. He spun her around twice, whispering, “You’re here. You really came.”

 

“Of course, I did,” she replied, hugging him tight. “I couldn’t wait to see you.”

 

Steve, Sam, and Nat approached at a more sedate pace. “Quite an effective disguise,” Nat said approvingly.

 

“I can manipulate my own molecular density,” Vision said with a small smile. “Creating a holographic representation to alter my outward appearance is rather simple in comparison.” To prove his point, the golden gem in his forehead suddenly faded from sight.

 

Nat rolled her eyes. “It took more than four hours over two days to bleach my hair.”

 

“We can’t all be perfect,” Vision joked.

 

“We told Wanda, and now we’re telling you,” Steve said, “she has a phone she can use to contact us, and we expect to hear from her in two weeks.”

 

“We _will_ be checking in,” Nat said, leaving no room for argument.

 

“I understand,” Vision nodded. “I also have an agreement with Mister Stark, and I have a transponder as well.” At the mention of Tony’s name, Steve rolled his shoulders back a bit. Vision looked at him and said, “Mister Stark has continued searching for Doctor Shaeffer. I don’t suppose you have heard from her.”

 

Steve shook his head as Sam and Wanda both sighed sadly. “No,” he said quietly. “It’s been a while since she’s visited Bucky.”

 

“How is Sergeant Barnes?” Vision asked, genuinely concerned.

 

“He’s safe,” Steve nodded, not providing any additional information.

 

“I haven’t felt Lexi in weeks,” Wanda admitted. “It is like she has somehow completely turned off all of her emotions.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t feel right.”

 

“She needs Sergeant Barnes,” Vision said softly. “He is her protector.”

 

“You told us that before, that Barnes was Lexi’s protector, her warrior,” Nat said. “What exactly does she need protection from?”

 

Vision looked at them as if the answer was obvious. “Herself.”

 

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” Sam mumbled under his breath.

 

“Her powers are considerable, and without Sergeant Barnes…she may feel as if she is being torn apart by them,” Vision said. “If you do see her, or hear from her, would you please contact Mister Stark? He is quite concerned for her.”

 

“We will,” Nat said, “and we’ll let you know, too, so make sure your phone is always charged and close by.” Both Wanda and Vision nodded.

 

“Be careful. Please,” Steve said, the concern in his voice evident.

 

Wanda smiled and came over to hug him. “We will,” she whispered, “we promise.”

 

***

“So Barton and Lang took Ross’s offer?” Rhodey asked Tony a few days later.

 

“Yeah,” Tony nodded. “They both agreed to house arrest and ankle bracelets for a couple of years, exceptions for family and medical emergencies, of course.” He tossed a screwdriver up in the air and caught it on the way down. “Lawyers got it all worked out, so they’re set.”

 

“What about Wilson and Maximoff?” he frowned.

 

Tony shook his head. “No, but I didn’t expect them to, either.” He tapped the handle of the screwdriver against his palm. “Wilson is pretty much on his own, no immediate family that needs him, and no way would Wanda surrender to the military.”

 

“That’s that, then?” Rhodey asked. When Tony nodded, a far-away look on his face, he looked at the worktable and asked, “What are you working on now?” After Tony showed him the updated plans for the exo-suit, Rhodey pointed to a screen that was crunching through data at high speed. “What’s FRIDAY chewing on?”

 

Tony sighed. “Trying to figure out where Lexi went. I’m positive she left Greece—after she erased any and all trace of herself. I told you about the one-thousand-plus hotel rooms reserved under her fake name?” When Rhodes nodded, Tony grinned. “All of them disappeared. She deleted everything a few days later—it’s like it never happened.” He dropped the screwdriver on the table. “Couldn’t even find a matching name flying out of Athens.”

 

“Tones, the girl obviously does not want to be found,” Rhodey said softly, leaning across Tony’s worktable and putting a hand on his friend’s forearm. “Why don’t you give her some time? Maybe she’ll come back on her own.”

 

“She’s out there all alone, Sourpatch, and Ross and Talbot—“ Tony said, shaking his head.

 

“They don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of finding her,” Rhodey assured him. “They don’t know her, not like you do, and she’s way smarter than they are—she’ll be okay.”

 

“Can’t help but worry about her,” Tony said quietly.

 

“I know,” Rhodey said, nodding. “Wherever she is right now, I’m sure she’s fine.”

 

***

 

For the first few days that she was back in Paris after leaving Greece, she never left her hotel room. She barely ate, barely slept; she hardly did more than inhale and exhale and stare at the ceiling, the wall, or the floor. She existed, on a more fundamental level than she ever had previously. She felt nothing. Anything even remotely resembling emotion had been replaced by a crushing emptiness.

 

After a week or so, she decided to seek more permanent housing. As nice as room service was—the few times she had bothered to use it—she couldn’t stay there forever. And now that her future was seemingly hers and hers alone, she had best find a place to stay and a way to fill her hours before she went insane.

 

Luck appeared to be on her side a couple of days later, when she went out for a walk and saw a bike shop. She didn’t want a car—the traffic in Paris was absolutely egregious—but a bicycle with a basket could be convenient.

 

She walked into the shop and had just started looking around when a young man, probably in his late twenties, walked through with a box, chatting with an older gentleman. From what she could overhear, the older man was the owner of the shop and the younger man, his son, was moving out of the small apartment upstairs. The younger man was insisting that the apartment was too small for him and his new bride, while the older man was complaining about having to find a tenant.

 

“ _Bonjour,_ ” she said, getting the attention of the two men. They turned to look at her, seeing a small, red-haired, green-eyed girl with a satchel slung over her shoulder.

 

“ _Est-ce que j'entends dire que vous avez une chambre à louer?_ ” (“Do I hear that you have a room to rent?”) she asked, remembering to put a smile on her face, or at least an approximation of a smile.

 

After introducing herself as Fiona James, a Scottish exchange student, and getting a quick tour of the apartment, which was basic, to say the least—one room, a small kitchen, a bathroom, one door and three windows, which was all she needed and therefore perfect—and an offer to pay for a full year in advance in cash, she shook hands with Monsieur Marc Joubert, her new landlord.

 

In the days that followed, Lexi moved into her new, tiny apartment. She had very little in the way of actual possessions—clothing and weapons, mostly—so it took only one trip in a taxi to bring everything with her. Once she was inside, she made quick work of cleaning and unpacking, and then began touring the neighborhood to find the necessities—grocer, laundromat, post office, and the like.

 

She exchanged occasional brief texts with her adopted mother, each assuring the other of their safety. Her parents were now actively hiding from Ross, and the quick missives eased her mind. She knew they could stay hidden for as long as they wanted; after all, they were smarter than Ross and Talbot combined.

 

She started visiting Bucky again after a few weeks in her wee _maisonette,_ as she liked to call it. In the end, it was impossible to stay away; she needed to know he was safe just as she needed air to breathe. She avoided everyone and everything, all the medical workers as well as the surveillance equipment she had begun to spot; staying as close as possible to the ceiling and not taking any type of form appeared to be enough, as no one she had inadvertently come across seemed to be aware of her presence at all. One young woman had looked up a time or two, as if she had felt or heard something, but within a few seconds, she had gone back to her work.

 

She had studied this young woman—and she was young, quite a bit younger than everyone else that worked in the medical suites, and she dressed differently as well; she eschewed the traditional lab coat the others wore in favor of trendier, more stylish clothing. She also liked listening to music and joking around; when she was alone in the suite with Bucky in his cryo-tube, she spoke to him, as if he could actually hear her, telling him what they were working on and what they were going to try next. It was oddly comforting, in a way; she was satisfied that someone here actually seemed to care about Bucky as more than an interesting experiment to work on.

 

She once followed this young woman around, from the medical suite to her lab, and it was there that she saw the preliminary plans that she had drawn up for a new prosthesis for Bucky. Seeing that the young woman was concerned about keeping the arm light and comfortable as well as agile eased some of the concern that she may have had about the Wakandan king keeping Bucky there.

 

Otherwise, she never stayed long during these visits; she came in, made sure Bucky was still safe and secure, took a quick look around, and then she left. There were no long, lingering looks, no more telling him all the things she wanted him to know. She couldn’t stay, and she refused to examine the reason why.

 

Had she chosen to think about it, she would have to admit how incredibly hurt she was that he hadn’t wanted her to help him; that he had made the decision to go back into cryostasis without even thinking of her. Despite what Clint had said, she couldn’t feel anything but outright rejection at his refusal to wait long enough for her to get to him. It was simpler, safer, not to think of it at all.

 

She wandered about Paris quite a bit, spending a lot of time in the Parc de Buttes-Chaumont _._ It was quite possibly her favorite spot in the city. Even with autumn passing and the weather getting colder, it was beautiful. She could always find a quiet, deserted spot to sit and think—and it was much easier to communicate with her mother there than in her _maisonette,_ where attempts at contact were usually met with dimming lights or other electrical issues.

 

It had been a long time since she had spoken with her mother; travel, exhaustion, and sadness overwhelming her at times. Finally telling her everything that had happened—telling her about the darkness that sometimes took her over—had been a relief, even if her response had been confusing. “I wasn’t sure if you knew about it,” she confessed.

 

“Of course I know both sides of you, my child,” her mother said. “How could you think I wasn’t aware of it?”

 

“Why didn’t you warn me about it, then?” she asked.

 

“This part of you is not something to be feared; it is vital to your survival. You must embrace it before you can control it.”

 

The younger woman shook her head. “But it’s dark and it feels wrong—“

 

“You will need to make some difficult choices, my daughter. Do not confuse doing what is necessary with doing evil.” When she frowned in response, her mother said, “It will help you achieve your purpose. Focus, find your balance between rage and serenity, and you will control it, rather than allowing it to control you.”

 

“Rage isn’t much of an issue these days,” she replied cynically, looking out over a green lake, surrounded by trees. She reached out to touch a brown, shriveled leaf, watching as it crumbled to dust under her fingertip. “I don’t really feel anything, anymore.”

 

When her mother had simply tilted her head questioningly to one side, she explained that Bucky was sleeping, had chosen to go into cryostasis. “He didn’t want my help,” she said flatly, and her mother had smiled at her.

 

“Do not fear, daughter,” she said. “Eventually all will become clear.”

 

She snorted in response. That was helpful.

 

“Everyone has their own reasons for the decisions they make,” she continued, “even me. I know you are hurting, and though I wish I could take away the pain you are feeling, I won’t—because in the end, it will make you stronger, which is necessary for the greater good.”

 

“’The greater good’?” the younger woman echoed, quirking an eyebrow. “ _Whose_ good is that, exactly?”

 

“Humanity’s,” her mother answered simply. “It is important that you be strong, for yourself, your friends, and for mankind.”

 

She had checked in on Steve, as well as Sam, Clint, and Wanda, while they were in Wakanda, until they had all packed up and vanished. She assumed that the King knew where they were going, so she started poking around in the government’s highly secured computer system, learning whatever she could. Unfortunately, they had no information about her friends ( _if they were her friends anymore,_ a bleak and desolate inner voice whispered to her) in any official files that she could find. That had required more extensive searching—and a better internet connection.

 

Finding their physical location had actually been easier than she had expected; simply sending out her projection to track them down had worked quite well. There was no sign of either Wanda or Clint, who she could only assume had gone back to his family; she would check on both of them later if the need arose.

 

Once she knew where Steve and Sam were, finding Nat with them as well, and she had upgraded her equipment, it was simple to find the phone calls from T’Challa to Steve. From there, it was an easy task of breaking into Steve’s phone, and from his, cracking both Sam’s and Nat’s phones as well.

 

She ordered her own custom satellite phone from a less-than-legal-but-very-high-quality online source, complete with highly-illegal spyware to track the trio’s GPS signals. She set it up to alert her anytime they traveled more than fifty miles in any direction.

 

She upgraded her computer and ordered new equipment so that she could create the false IDs she needed to travel about. She rented a box at the post office three blocks away, not wanting anything delivered to the apartment above the bike shop.

 

She had changed the locks on the door and blacked out and barricaded the windows. Monsieur Joubert had said nothing, obviously happy with being paid in advance. It became her hub, her hidey-hole, a place where she could stash her weapons and ammunition, her document creation equipment and forging tools, as well as her high-powered desktop computer and printers.

 

She could move around the city easily, becoming anyone she chose to be. She was just one person out of millions in a racially and ethnically diverse city, and it was easy to disappear into the crowd.

 

She began to keep an eye on Steve, Sam, and Nat, watching their activities. It became crystal clear rather quickly what they were up to, and from there it became just as easy to predict their next move—disturbingly easy, as far as she was concerned.

 

As her disquiet grew, she began to plan.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! Another chapter finally ready! The next few are almost done, and I'm really hoping to work past the bit of writer's block I'm stuck in. Knowing the plot points is one thing, getting from Point A to Point B is proving rather challenging. I'm trying, though, I promise. :)
> 
> I've seen Ant-Man and the Wasp twice, and I LOVE it. I have ALL the Funko POPs. Happy birthday to me. I also ordered a custom Sergeant James Barnes of the 107th Funko. He's absolutely beautiful. XD
> 
> Only three more weeks until Infinity War comes out on Blu-ray, and I lose several days watching it over and over. And crying a lot. :***(
> 
> As a formality, any errors in translation are the property of Google Translate.
> 
> Until next time!  
> <3


	4. Baby Got an Atom Bomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo...this chapter covers a big chunk of time--somewhere in the range of 9-10 months. It also spells out very clearly what Lexi has been up to and her mental state during this time (hint: it's not very pretty).
> 
> The song at the beginning of the chapter is “Atom Bomb” by Fluke, from the album Risotto, released May 26, 1997, published by Circa. No lie, when I'm PMS'd or just really pissed off, it's a great song. IT SETS THE MOOD.
> 
> "Infinity War: Prelude" is referenced heavily toward the end of the chapter.

 

 

 

_Four Months Later…._

 

 

_“Baby got an atom bomb,_

_A motherfuckin’ atom bomb_

_Twenty-two mega tons,_

_Ain’t never seen so much fun._

_Baby got a poison gas,_

_Baby got a heart attacks,_

_Baby got a pain on tap_

_Baby gimme some of that.”_

 

She sang along under her breath as she finished loading the two Glock 19s that she carried under her jacket. She had two extra 15-round magazines for each weapon clipped on the back of her belt and was looking at the Skorpion sitting in her weapons case when her phone pinged.

 

 _Baby got a Nobel Prize_  
_Given for the perfect crime_  
_Baby got an alibi_  
_Baby got eight more lives_

  
_Baby got purple hair_  
_Baby got a secret lair_  
_Baby got an army there_  
_I ain't ever seen Baby scared_

 

The trio she’d been following for more than three months now was moving. She shook her head—they’d been sloppy this time. It hadn’t taken more than five minutes to figure out where their next meeting was being held. The old KGB contacts they were using may have let something slip to the wrong people.

 

 _Baby got a satellite_  
_Baby got second sight_  
_Baby got a master plan_  
_A foolproof master plan_

 

Deciding to leave the Skorpion behind—she doubted that she was going to run across more than five or six of the arms smugglers today, after all—she picked up her phone and slipped it into her pocket. She pulled her dark brown hair back into a ponytail, tucking some loose strands behind her ears, and put her wireless ear buds in. She wrapped the black scarf over the lower half of her face, put on her sunglasses, pulled her hood up, and walked out the door, humming along to the music that was still playing in her ears.

 

 _Baby got a crystal ball_  
_Baby doesn't care at all_  
_Baby's having too much fun_  
_Baby got an atom bomb_

She made her way along the street, staying mostly in the shadows and along the edges. No one paid any attention to her, but even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to describe her with any kind of accuracy; they would remember black clothing, nothing more.

  
_Baby got a fleet at sea_  
_She got a submarine called Emergency_  
_She got a motorcade_  
_She got a monorail_  
_Going coast to coast on a campaign trail_

 

Checking the surveillance photo on her phone again, she made her way up to the roof of the building two blocks down from the meeting site. Walking over to the northeast corner, she had unobstructed line-of-sight from the top of the third floor where she stood to the lone doorway into and out of the building where the group was meeting.

 

 _Playing deck of cards in an armored car_  
_She got a kung fu star as a body guard_  
_She got a juju charm_  
_She got a magic spell_  
_She got a genie_  
_All three is working well_

 

She sighed, shaking her head. _Definitely sloppy this time._ They were moving too quickly, trying to chase these weapons down as fast as they could. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate what they were doing, but they were starting to blatantly leave themselves open to ambush. Hopefully today would be a reminder that they needed to be more careful.

 

 _She got a TV show_  
_She got a shopping mall_  
_She got a miracle_  
_She doesn't want at all_  
_She got a monument at a great expense_  
_She got a head of state and a president_

 

It was mostly clear, no rain that day, and not terribly warm. She was just determining wind speed and direction—low, only about 5 miles per hour (and dry as hell, too), from the north; into the wind, but not enough to make much difference—when she saw them come around a corner and head toward the building she was watching. As soon as two of the three went inside, she turned around and walked back over to the roof access door. Sitting on the west side of the bump-out, taking advantage of what little shade there was, she sat down to wait, calmly nodding in time with the music playing in her ears.

 

 _She got destiny_  
_She got supremacy_  
_She got everything else from a-to-z_  
_She got it all down tight_  
_She got nothing wrong_  
_She got the whole wide world singing Baby's song_

 

***

 

“How much more of this stuff is there?” Sam asked lowly, his voice muffled under the black balaclava that covered his head and neck. The three made their way toward the agreed meeting point with the suspected arms smugglers.

 

“You’d be surprised,” Nat said flatly. The dark grey and brown niqab she wore covered everything except her eyes, which were darting about, taking in everything. “Thousands of weapons were left all over Manhattan when the Chitauri fell. Recovery teams think they got maybe three-quarters of what was abandoned.”

 

“And the rest?” Sam asked, wide-eyed.

 

“Souvenir-seekers, mostly,” Steve said through the blue scarf that covered most of his face. “Unfortunately, posting pictures of what they grabbed all over social media made it easy for weapons makers and dealers to find them before officials did.”

 

“Well, crap,” Sam sighed.

 

“Here we are,” Steve said as they turned a corner. He looked up and down the alleyway before saying “Nat, let us know when they’re on their way. Meet us back here when we give you the all-clear.”

 

“Got it. Good luck, boys,” she said, continuing down the alley as Sam and Steve slipped inside the door.

 

***

 

Up on the rooftop, their voices came through her ear buds loud and clear. She waited, staring off into space and tapping the toes of her black combat boots in time with the music that played in the background.

 

 _“You’ve got incoming,”_ Nat said softly a couple of minutes later. _“Two trucks, heading your way.”_

 

 _“Copy that,”_ Steve replied.

 

 _“One of the trucks just let two men out; they’re leaving and heading south, heavily armed,”_ Nat informed them.

 

 _And here they come,_ she thought. Only two? Easy-peasy.

 

 _“The trucks are pulling up outside now,”_ Nat said. _“One only has men inside, the other has half a dozen crates.”_

 

 _“Copy,”_ Sam said.

 

Less than five minutes later, she heard the echoing of footsteps coming up the stairs behind her. The rooftop access door opened and two men came through; one was armed with an assault rifle that looked similar to the Colt M4A1 that Bucky had taught her to shoot, the other had a handgun holstered on his right side.

 

They headed straight to the northeast corner of the rooftop and got into position, unaware that there was anyone else on the rooftop with them.

 

She continued to listen to the chatter on the comms as the truck was unloaded and the meeting got under way. She was intrigued that, although the men who delivered the weapons were speaking Arabic, the group she was shadowing didn’t seem to have any trouble understanding or speaking it. _Interesting,_ she thought. Possibly some Wakandan tech at work.

 

She sat and watched the two men on the rooftop with her. They, clearly, were listening in on the conversation as well, though they were tuned into their comrades’ parts of the dialogue. They were so absorbed in the proceedings, frankly, that she hadn’t even bothered to make herself invisible to them. _That’s a mistake they won’t make again,_ she thought to herself.

 

Once Steve and Sam received confirmation that there was another shipment headed for Tehran, they dispatched the group inside quickly. Nat made her way toward the meeting site to help them dismantle and destroy the Chitauri components of the weapons they had just liberated.

 

She kept an eye on the two men as Nat appeared in their field of vision, but they made no move to take her out. _Waiting for all three to come out at the same time,_ she thought to herself.

 

Maybe half an hour later, Steve said, _“That’s all of it. Let’s get out of here.”_

 

She stood up, calmly pulling one of her Glocks from its holster. There were only two of them, after all, so no need to go overboard. She walked up behind them silently, glad that the sun was nearly directly overhead now, so no shadow was cast to give her away.

 

“ _Marhabaan,_ ” (“Hello,”) she said in a falsely cheerful tone as the man with the handgun jumped up in surprise and spun around. Not even wasting time with him, she planted a boot in the middle of his chest and sent him toppling over the low rooftop ledge into the alleyway three floors below.

 

The man with the Colt rifle got to his feet more slowly, and over his shoulder she could see the door to the meeting site open, the trio coming out. As the man swung the barrel of the rifle in her direction, she kicked up straight up, her hood falling back and sending the business end of the weapon skyward as he pulled the trigger.

 

A staccato blast echoed through the air as he staggered back, and she reached out to grab the hand guard of the rifle with her left hand as she brought up the Glock in her right.

 

***

 

The three stopped short, looking up.

 

“That was an assault rifle,” Nat said lowly, extending her arm out from under her voluminous sleeve, pistol ready.

 

“Close by, too,” Steve said.

 

A single gunshot was heard, and they all turned in the same direction to see someone tumbling from a rooftop two blocks away. A lone figure remained above, holding a rifle by its guard in one hand.

 

“Shit!” Sam said as they all took cover against the building across the alley.

 

“Did you see that?” Steve said, his eyes wide.

 

“Yeah, we saw it; heard it, too,” Sam said, checking his handgun.

 

“No,” Steve shook his head emphatically. “Did you see who was on the roof?”

 

“What did you see, Steve?” Nat asked, frowning.

 

“Swear to god, it looked like Bucky,” he said, confused. “Long, dark brown hair, black mask and sunglasses, black jacket.”

 

“You saw all that?” Sam asked. When Steve nodded, he asked, “Did T’Challa call you? Is he even awake?”

 

“Not that I know of,” Steve shook his head, “but I think I’d better check in.”

 

Nat peeked quickly around the corner. “Whoever it was is gone,” she said. “We need to get out of here, too. Let’s go.”

 

***

 

She holstered the Glock and hid the rifle under her jacket. The end of the barrel was still visible, but around here, no one would even look at her twice. Hell, she thought to herself, they wouldn’t see her at all if that was how she wanted it.

 

It was a pretty narrow stairway to get up to the roof, so she descended quickly, knowing there wouldn’t be enough room for Egyptian police to get past her without bumping into her if they crossed paths. Doesn’t do much good to be invisible if they run right into you.

 

She made it down to the first floor just as two policemen came running up to the building. People outside were pointing, some to the alleyway and some up to the roof, and yelling as the men in full tactical gear burst inside, leaving the door wide open.

 

 _Thank you,_ she thought politely as she walked outside, right past a crowd of people who couldn’t see her. She walked away from the scene and away from the three people who would—hopefully—be more careful next time.

 

***

 

“T’Challa says that Bucky is still in cryo, no changes,” Steve said, setting down his phone. He shook his head. “Now I don’t know what to think.”

 

“Maybe we just consider ourselves lucky and get moving on the next shipment,” Nat said, packing her extra ammunition away and zipping up her duffel bag.

 

“Maybe we should slow down on the Tehran shipment,” Sam said, folding his arms over his chest. “That meeting point made us sitting ducks. We can’t do that again.”

 

“You think my KGB contacts set us up?” Nat asked, frowning.

 

“I think someone was waiting on that rooftop for us,” Sam said, nodding. “We need to be more careful.”

 

“Let’s get out of Cairo first and lay low for a bit. While we do that, we can plan how to move on Tehran,” Steve said, looking at the other two. “Sound good?”

 

“Yeah,” Sam said, nodding. He picked up his two duffels and slung them over his shoulder. “That sounds good.”

 

Nat nodded her agreement as well.

 

“Okay,” Steve said, pocketing his phone and grabbing his cases. “Let’s go.”

 

***

 

She returned to Paris, as she always did, keeping an ear on the chatter coming out of the Middle East. Her friends (former friends?) had gotten out of Cairo, heading to the U.A.E. for several weeks. After that, she followed them to Tehran; happily, there were no problems with that meeting, and she watched from a distance as they destroyed even more alien-based weaponry.

 

The following missions were just as uneventful, only a handful of terrorists to deal with here and there. A group at a border crossing caused an unexpected problem, but she dispatched them reflexively, long past the time when she might have felt any guilt over her actions. The complete and utter lack of remorse on her part would have been shocking to her at one point; the fact that she avoided mirrors, not wanting to see the dead eyes looking out of whatever face she was wearing, was the only indication that she knew everything was not well.

 

She asked her mother about it one winter day as she stood in the park, staring blankly at a frozen pond. “Am I a monster?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

“Would you even tell me if I was?” When she didn’t receive a response, she asked, “Am I evil?”

 

Her mother gave her a little half-smile, shaking her head in fond exasperation. “You are not evil, my child.”

 

“I’ve hurt people, mother, willingly—and I feel nothing. How is that kind of apathy not evil?”

 

The older woman looked at her carefully. “The truth is not that you don’t feel, it is that you do not _allow_ yourself to feel. You have defended yourself and your friends from those who had no care whatsoever for humanity; people who would have gone on to take hundreds—if not thousands—more lives had you not intervened. Separating emotion from action is not easy, but it is sometimes necessary.”

 

Her mother turned to face her then, a more serious look on her face than she had yet seen. “You and your chosen family are vital to the future of this world. You are here to help ensure their survival, no matter how difficult that may be. Billions of lives depend on it.”

 

“What’s happening?” she asked, frowning at the intensity of her mother’s stare.

 

“Something is coming,” the older woman replied, “and it is more powerful than anything I have yet seen.”

 

“Something is coming—here?” she asked, confused. “What is it?”

 

“He is called the Mad Titan. His name is Thanos.”

 

***

 

Despite her repeated and varied questions, her mother never gave her more information than that, only saying, “Your resolve and your strength will be tested. You must be prepared to do what is required.”

 

“How can I know what to prepare for when you won’t tell me anything?” she asked, annoyed.

 

“You will know at the appropriate time,” was the endlessly perplexing response.

 

“A straight answer once in a while wouldn’t kill you, ya know,” the younger woman glared, her hands clenching in her pockets.

 

When all she got in return was an indulgent smile, she turned and stomped away, leaving only footprints in the snow as evidence of her existence.

 

Shadowing her friends turned out to be less frustrating than dealing with her mother, so she returned to her day job, as it were, trailing them from meeting place to meeting place, country to country.

 

It was relaxing, in a strange sense, to go to so many cities and see the people who lived there going about their day-to-day lives. They had no idea what was going on around them; had no concerns, really, beyond taking care of their families.

 

She had spent the first fifty years of her life rarely leaving the United States; now she was seeing the world—really seeing it—for the first time, and she gained a new level of respect for these people, many of whom had nothing material to speak of, yet they were happy. Happy just to be together, healthy and safe. She envied them a little, honestly, that their lives were so simple, that their daily objectives were so clear: feed the children, keep them safe, live to see another day, repeat.

 

She thought of the stories Bruce had told her of his days in Calcutta; how the simple act of helping others gave his life enough meaning to keep moving forward. Maybe one day, she thought, when her friends had completed their mission and all of the alien weapons were gone, she would spend time learning from these people. Maybe, when she was facing nothing but a solitary future, that would give her enough of a reason to get up every day and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

 

***

 

 

_Two months later…_

 

Nat had been hunched over her laptop, bringing up file after file, shushing Steve and shooing Sam away whenever they got too close or started asking questions about what she was doing. Finally, after hours and hours, spread over weeks of searching, a triumphant smile stretched across her face.

 

“I’ve got her.”

 

“Got who?” Sam asked, turning his head to look at her.

 

“Lexi.”

 

“What do you mean, you’ve got Lexi?” Steve’s head popped up across the room, a frown on his face.

 

“I figured out how to track her.” She huffed a laugh through her nose. “I’m a little embarrassed I didn’t catch it sooner, to be honest.”

 

“What did you find?” Steve asked, coming up behind her. Sam joined them, his arms folded over his chest.

 

“Do you remember way back, when we first met her in that little coffee shop?” Nat asked, highlighting entries in different files. When both men nodded, she said, “Fury read off the list of her previous aliases.”

 

“I remember. Thought she was going to bolt right then and there,” Steve said, smiling fondly at the memory.

 

“Fury told her that it was the initials—she had used the same initials, _A. S._ , every time, and that was what had finally convinced Fury that he was right about her.”

 

“I’m guessing she didn’t do that again,” Sam said, tilting his head and arching his eyebrows sardonically.

 

“No, she did not,” Nat confirmed. “But that got me to thinking. Lexi doesn’t pick names at random. She has a system. The only one that didn’t fall under that system this time was the first one she used when she left HQ and flew from New York to Paris.” She picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to Sam.

 

He looked at the sheet in his hand. “Ava Buchanan.”

 

Steve read over Sam’s shoulder. “She used Bucky’s middle name,” he said with a smile.

 

“Exactly,” Nat nodded. “I’m absolutely positive that was her. Lexi is sentimental. She’s loyal. Even when she’s in hiding, it comes out in certain ways—if you know what to look for. Part of why it took so long for me to find her is because I was searching for more Buchanans and Jameses, which she didn’t use, and ‘Barnes’ was too obvious.” She turned her laptop slightly so the men could see it clearly and pointed to a short list. “I’ve pulled all of these out of different airlines’ systems. Look at these names.”

 

Steve read them out loud. “Jocasta Achyrónes, Annaliese Granges, Lena Scheunen, Gianna Fienili, Maria Hambare, Qadira al Hazayir, Arekusa Naya.”

 

“That first one was the hotel room in Athens, right?” Sam asked, pointing at the screen.

 

“Yes,” Nat said. “The second one Tony tried to track down immediately afterward, but she had already vanished.”

 

“I’m not seeing any—wait,” Steve said with a frown, looking intently at the screen. Suddenly he looked at Nat with big eyes. “You’re kidding.”

 

“Nope,” she grinned.

 

“All of them?” he asked, smiling just as widely.

 

“All of them,” she nodded.

 

Sam cleared his throat, annoyed. “Okay, you two,” he grumbled. “What am I not seeing?”

 

“How many languages does Lexi know?” Nat asked, smirking.

 

“Um… _’all of them,’_ ” Sam echoed snappily, getting more irritated by the second.

 

“Whereas I only know about six,” Nat said, counting on her fingers, “and Steve?”

 

“Fluent in French and German, and I know enough to get by in four or five others,” he replied.

 

“You can both stop bragging now,” Sam said loudly.

 

“All of these last names,” Nat said, pointing at the list, “are the same.”

 

“How so?” Sam asked, frowning. “They don’t look the same to me.”

 

“They’re all different languages,” Steve explained, “but they all mean the same thing.” At Sam’s questioning look, he answered. “Barns.”

 

“ _Barnes?_ Are you serious?” Sam said, his eyes wide in disbelief.

 

“Not the name ‘Barnes.’ The buildings. A name is a name,” Nat said, shrugging. “They’re usually pretty recognizable, even when translated to different languages. A _barn_ , however, is a building, and that word takes many different forms across countries and continents.” She snorted. “Thank god for Google Translate.”

 

“So she’s always using a last name that means ‘Barns,’” Sam said. He smiled a bit then, shaking his head, almost like he was smiling against his will. “That’s…kind of, uh—“

 

“Ridiculously sweet,” Nat said with a smirk, “and now I know what to look for. Of course, there are nearly seven thousand recognized languages in the world—“

 

“Seven _thousand?_ ” Sam asked in disbelief.

 

“And don’t forget that she doesn’t just know languages from Earth,” Steve reminded them. “Thor said she has ‘The Allspeak,’ remember? She knows _every_ language.”

 

“Well, I’m hoping she sticks to Earth languages, because I’m pretty sure even Google doesn’t cover Asgardian,” Nat said wryly.

 

***

 

It was several days after their next stop, in Syria, that Nat brought Lexi up again. “I’ve found something,” she said, looking at her laptop. “This can’t be good.” When she brought up the information, she huffed and shook her head, muttering, “What the hell are you up to, girl?”

 

“What’s going on?” Steve asked, leaning over her shoulder.

 

“After Syria,” she explained, “I started nosing around. The group that met with us should have been bigger—with as many crates as they had, there should have been twice as many men.”

 

“What are you getting at?” Steve asked.

 

“Our ops have been going off without much difficulty, for the most part, which just seems way too easy. The only one where we even suspected trouble was Cairo. Now look at this.” She brought up a list of flights—dates and destinations—and showed them to Steve and Sam, who had come over to join the other two. “Look familiar?”

 

Steve and Sam were both frowning at the itinerary. “Those are all the places we’ve been the last few months, right?” Sam asked uneasily.

 

“Yes,” Nat nodded. “Lexi’s been following us, I’m sure of it. Always coming in and leaving a day or so later than we do, going back and forth from Charles de Gaulle Airport. So at least we can be fairly certain that she’s set up a base for herself in France, most likely in Paris.”

 

“How could she even know where we were?” Steve asked.

 

Nat sighed and held up her phone. “I’ll give you one guess.”

 

“You think she’s been tracking our phones? These things are supposed to be untraceable!” Sam exclaimed.

 

“This is Lexi we’re talking about,” Steve sighed. “If anyone—other than Shuri—could do it, Lexi could.”

 

“The only other option would have to be the quinjet, and FRIDAY sweeps for trackers and beacons on every power-up,” Nat said.

 

“Why do you think she’s been following us?” Sam asked, a troubled look on his face.

 

Nat looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. “I think you know the answer to that question.”

 

Sam gaped at her. “You don’t think—”

 

“Remember Cairo?” Nat said. “When we were leaving the meeting point, we heard the gunshots?”

 

“Yeah,” Sam nodded.

 

“Lexi was there,” Nat said, bringing up one of the aliases she was sure Lexi was using, showing that she traveled from Paris to Cairo two days before the meeting.

 

She brought up an article about two men who had fallen from a rooftop three floors up into the alleyway below, one having been shot. The assailant was never found. She then brought up a satellite map of Cairo. “This was our meeting place,” she pointed at a building on the map. “The two men fell from the rooftop here,” she said, indicating another spot on the map, two blocks away. Drawing a line with her finger, she showed that there was a straight, unobstructed line-of-sight between the rooftop and the doorway they had exited the meeting point through.

 

“It could have been Lexi on the rooftop,” Steve said quietly, his brow furrowed. “Long, dark hair.”

 

“I can’t believe she would do that,” Sam said, shaking his head.

 

“Who else could it be, Sam?” Nat asked quietly. “You remember what Tony told Steve—she’s an expert shot and we know she can fight. Taking out two men who weren’t expecting her—who may not have even seen her—would have been easy.”

 

“But why? Why would she do it?” Sam was beginning to get angry. “The Lexi we know wouldn’t—“

 

“Maybe she’s not the Lexi we know anymore,” Steve said, looking heartbroken.

 

“Before you start freaking out,” Nat said, “I have some other things you need to see.” She brought up another file full of articles from different publications. “If this is Lexi, and I’m positive it is,” she smiled at Steve, “I think it’s safe to say she’s still the girl we know and love.” She shrugged then. “Well, she’s not exactly herself, clearly, but she’s still our Lexi.”

 

“What have you found?” Steve asked, almost fearfully.

 

“Lots of places we’ve been, there have been incidents like this,” Nat said, bringing articles with headlines like, “DAYLIGHT ATTACK ON TERRORIST CELL,” and “FOUR MEN SHOT AT BORDER CROSSING.” There were others, all reporting similar occurrences. “This one,” she pointed out another story, “happened in Syria, only a couple of blocks from our meeting place. A dozen men, suspected arms smugglers, taken out inside one room.”

 

“This is supposed to make us feel better?” Sam asked, rubbing his hand across his chest as if his heart was hurting.

 

“It should,” she said. “All of these incidents, the person behind it was either not seen at all, wasn’t identified, or is referred to only as an ‘unknown female’; which, if you think about it, for any of these men to admit a woman kicked their asses is pretty unusual.”

 

“And?” Steve prompted her.

 

“ _All_ of these incidents,” Nat said again, smirking this time, “and no one has died.”

 

 _“What?”_ Steve and Sam said, practically in unison. “Are you serious?” Sam asked, his eyebrows climbing up into his hairline.

 

“I’m serious,” Nat smiled. “The two guys that fell from the rooftop in Cairo landed in a hay cart in the alley. One was shot in the shoulder, and it was considered ‘not life-threatening.’” She swiped through another article. “The men at the border, all incapacitated by gunshots to the knees, no life-threatening injuries, though they won’t be running any marathons anytime soon.” Another article. “Gunshot wound, not life-threatening.” And another. “Left unconscious, otherwise unhurt. The twelve in Syria?” she snorted. “A canister of highly diluted EA-2277.” At the two men’s questioning looks, she sighed. “Knock-out gas. All the drop, none of the psychotic side effects.”

 

She flipped through even more articles. “She’s been following us around, getting rid of anyone who might have stood in our way or gotten the drop on us, and no one’s died. Well,” she paused with a frown, “the men at the border crossing might have been about protecting herself; we didn’t go in or leave that way.” She turned in her chair to look up at the two men standing there, and shrugged. “To me, that sounds like Lexi.”

 

“That does,” Steve said, the relief he felt nearly overwhelming him, though he was still worried. Even Sam couldn’t stop the smile that crossed his face.

 

“That does sound like our Boo,” he said softly. “I still don’t like it, though.”

 

“So now that we know Lexi is following us, tracking our phones, whatever,” Steve said, crossing his arms over his chest, “what do we do?”

 

“Maybe arrange a little meet-and-greet?” Nat suggested. “We head out for another mission, figure out when she’s coming in, and try to talk to her?”

 

“Now _that_ sounds like a mission I would actually enjoy,” Sam said, grinning widely.

 

***

 

_Three Weeks Later…._

 

 

“Steve,” Sam said, pointing at the buzzing device, “your phone’s ringing.”

 

Steve walked over and picked it up, looking at the screen. “It’s T’Challa,” he said, his heart rate speeding up. “Your Highness,” he said by way of greeting.

 

“So formal,” an amused female voice said. “How are you, Captain Rogers?”

 

“Shuri,” Steve said, both Nat and Sam looking over at him. “We’re well, thank you. How are you doing?”

 

“I am absolutely fantastic,” she said excitedly. “I have some good news for you.”

 

“Is Bucky alright?” Steve asked nervously.

 

“He is still asleep and doing just fine,” she reassured him. “I believe we have made some significant progress here.”

 

“How so?”

 

“If you remember, we made a one-to-one digital representation of Sergeant Barnes’ brain. Everything we tried was tested on the digital construct so that we would not damage his actual, physical tissues,” Shuri reminded him.

 

“Yes, I remember,” Steve said. “So you’ve had a breakthrough?”

 

“We’ve made progress regarding what needs to be done. It’s not as simple as erasing mental programming outright. There is no delete button here. A majority of his programming is linked to trigger words. The last thing we want to do is remove all of who Sergeant Barnes is—his loves, his hates, his quirks, his whole personality—when trying to destroy what Hydra made him to be,” she said. “The hardest part is rooting out the extent of his memories that have the greatest amount of control over his physical actions, the ones that have been manipulated due to their deep emotional trauma, of which there are very, very many.”

 

Steve tried to understand what she was saying. “So…this is good news?”

 

“ _This_ is the good news,” Shuri said. “I’ve been running an algorithm that will be able to flush the influence of the trigger words out while retaining the core context and content of those original memories. Essentially, I should be able to reboot him.”*

 

* (Shuri’s dialog is paraphrased from _Infinity War: Prelude_ , published March 21, 2018)

 

That part, Steve understood. “Really?” he said. “That’s incredible.”

 

“It will take a little while,” Shuri cautioned him, “and after he wakes up, he’ll need time to heal and adjust. But,” she continued, “I am confident that he should be fine.”

 

“That’s…” he sighed heavily, relief washing over him, “that’s wonderful. Thank you, Shuri.”

 

“It is my pleasure,” she replied. “I’ll let you know when we have more information.”

 

Steve thanked her again and they ended the call.

 

“That sounded promising,” Nat said, looking up at Steve from her position at the desk.

 

“It does,” Steve nodded, and then he relayed what Shuri had said. “I hope it works as well as she thinks it will.” He smiled then. “Maybe we’ll have some good news for Lexi when we see her.”

 

***

 

Several thousand miles away, she sat in her little French apartment and listened to the conversation between Shuri and Steve. Even though she had understood everything that Shuri had said, and agreed that it could work—theoretically, at least—it was still a punch in the gut; a painful reminder that Bucky hadn’t trusted her enough to ask for her help.

 

Most days she still felt numb; there were times, however, when the rage that she thought had been smothered suddenly flared to life, burning white-hot, feeling like it would consume her. Those were the days that she, rather than risk the equipment inside her apartment being accidentally destroyed, would strap on her running shoes and head for the Rue de Vaugirard, running the length of it, down and back, usually twice in under an hour, before tapering off to a more sedate pace, in order to push down anything even resembling emotion.

 

After Steve and Shuri hung up, she went outside, trying to calm down. It was mid-spring in Paris, and it was breathtaking. She walked for hours, not seeing anything other than the pictures inside her own mind; Bucky’s smile, his sparkling blue-grey eyes, the way his hair would sometimes blow across his cheeks when they walked together. Something confusing was niggling at the edge of her consciousness; it felt like…pain. Were she to admit it to herself, her heart was aching to see him.

 

She hadn’t seen Bucky in a while. Following the three rogue Avengers around the Middle East and Asia had kept her suitably occupied for the last several months; creating new IDs and background documentation kept her mind and hands busy. She’d only briefly sent her projection to Wakanda to check on him once in the last few weeks.

 

March tenth had come and gone; Bucky’s one-hundredth birthday, she realized. She had been traveling that day and the date had never crossed her mind, she thought with a sickening jolt. She put her head down and kept walking, doing her best to crush her own thoughts even as her breath hitched and her eyelids prickled dangerously.

 

Maybe after the next mission, she thought. Steve, Nat, and Sam were going to Oman, and although she didn’t expect more trouble than usual, she was still going to shadow them.

 

Maybe after that she would go see Bucky again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is really dark and angsty, but the next chapter will make up for it--I promise! Good news ahead! :)
> 
> I was torn a little by this chapter. When I first wrote it, she was shooting to kill; I have to admit, though, that it never sat well with me. I wanted to keep that core part of her that REALLY disliked hurting people, so I decided that incapacitating in the name of protection and self-defense was more true to her character, while it still is clearly taking a toll on her.
> 
> I would appreciate your thoughts on this, as it makes a difference down the road. All suggestions and constructive criticism are welcome.
> 
> And by the way, thank god for Google Translate. XD
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments! I hope you're all having a great summer! <3


	5. Good Morning, Sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was a little late--the fam and I spent a few days at Disneyland, saying goodbye to summer. It was lovely--and exhausting. :)

 

 

_Three Months Later…._

 

 

It really could have happened at a better time.

 

Granted, it could have happened at a worse time; say, if she’d been behind the wheel, speeding unsafely along on the Autobahn, or in a plane, trapped thirty-five thousand feet up in the air with no way to escape.

 

But still, in the middle of a Parisian market—surrounded by people who were suddenly unwilling witnesses to the crazy woman clutching her chest and having a complete emotional breakdown next to the baguettes—would not have been her first choice.

 

It would have been nice if she’d been alone when she felt Bucky wake up.

 

***

 

Bucky’s eyes opened slowly, noting gratefully that it was quiet and the lights had been dimmed. This was so different from the other times he’d been brought out of cryo; no rough hands dragging him out of the chamber and dropping him into The Chair, strapping him down and forcing the bite guard into his mouth—wait, no, no, he didn’t want to think about that right now. Or ever again, thank you very much.

 

He was lying down in a surprisingly comfortable hospital bed, his head cushioned on a soft pillow and his body covered by a plush, warm blanket, almost as if he’d simply been taking a nap, the muted beeps of a monitor the only sounds he could hear. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, blinking sleepily, and then he carefully rolled his head to look around.

 

Standing quietly by his side and looking at a tablet was a young woman that he recognized immediately as the King’s sister, Shuri. He was relieved that she looked essentially the same as when he went under, which hopefully meant not too much time had passed.

 

He was just starting to get his bearings and was about to speak, when suddenly it felt as though someone was squeezing his heart and he gasped loudly.

 

Startled by the sudden noise, Shuri nearly dropped her tablet. “Sergeant Barnes?” she said quickly, watching as the monitors showed his heart rate rising rapidly. “Sergeant Barnes, can you hear me?” She put a hand on his shoulder and motioned to someone out of Bucky’s field of vision.

 

He rubbed his hand over his chest, feeling his heart pound against his ribcage. “ _Lexi,_ ” he groaned, grimacing. “ _Oh, god, she’s hurting._ ”

 

“Who is Lexi?” Shuri asked, trying to keep him calm. “Who is Lexi, Sergeant Barnes?”

 

“ _My wife,_ ” he managed to utter, just before he passed out.

 

***

 

After Bucky had fallen back into unconsciousness and his heart rate had returned to normal, she had turned in shock to T’Challa, who was standing on the opposite side of Bucky’s hospital bed, and began speaking rapidly in a hushed whisper. “His _wife?_ No one told me he was married! Where is she? Does she even know what has happened? We need to bring her here!”

 

“She is aware,” he replied calmly, drawing Shuri away from Bucky’s bedside now that the man was resting peacefully again. “She has been watching over Sergeant Barnes since this began. You have even seen her yourself.”

 

“What? What are you talking about? I haven’t seen any—“ Suddenly she gasped, her eyes wide. “ _No._ ”

 

“Yes,” T’Challa nodded. “The _Umoya._ ” He then explained a little of what he had learned about Lexi from Steve—only that she had disappeared from Avengers HQ and that they did not know her whereabouts—watching as Shuri’s eyes grew larger and larger.

 

“How could you not tell me this?” Shuri asked angrily, slapping at his arm.

 

“I made Captain Rogers a promise that I would not discuss her existence with anyone,” T’Challa said calmly. “It was for your safety.”

 

“If I had known, maybe I could have helped her,” Shuri said, irritated. “We must tell Sergeant Barnes!”

 

“No. We cannot.”

 

“You’re—what? You’re not going to tell him?” Shuri asked T’Challa, utterly confused. “Sergeant Barnes may think she is still in the United States at Avengers HQ with Tony Stark. We both know that’s not likely to be true.”

 

“Since we have no idea where she is, what good would it do to tell him?” T’Challa responded. “It will only upset him and delay his recovery, perhaps even motivate him to leave before he is ready.” He paused. “Besides, according to Captain Rogers, they are not actually married.”

 

“We are not talking about an acquaintance or a passing fancy,” Shuri argued. “She—or part of her, anyway—found him here and came to watch over him. He may have called her his wife, but if he could feel her pain, I would say she is even more than that to him. He has a right to know.”

 

“We do not know anything for certain. I do not wish to confuse him with conjecture and guesswork. Perhaps Captain Rogers has new information about her location.”

 

Shuri narrowed her eyes at her brother. “Then _perhaps_ you should call Captain Rogers and tell him that his friend is awake and is worried about his _wife_.”

 

T’Challa took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, looking at his genius—and sometimes annoying—little sister, before nodding. “I will.”

 

***

 

Once she had picked herself up off the floor, and had assured the well-meaning _boulanger_ that she was alright and could walk, she high-tailed it back to her cozy, one-room apartment over the small, family-run bike shop. She had been renting it for just about a year now, and it had been ideal. At first Monsieur Joubert had seemed a little unsure of the petite Scottish exchange student with the dark red hair and big green eyes, but when Fiona James had begun speaking in flawless French and had offered to pay him cash for a full year in advance, he got over his trepidations quickly and handed her the keys.

 

She liked the little French man; Joubert was kind and courteous, always giving her a smile and a wave as she passed by, and he didn’t ask questions. He hadn’t complained when she had changed the locks and barricaded the windows—nothing obvious, of course, but no one was getting in there without making a hell of a lot of noise and a serious mess—and he didn’t pry when she occasionally disappeared for a week or more at a time.

 

She made it back inside without her landlord seeing her, and she bolted the door behind her. Breathing hard, she sat on the edge of the little twin bed in the corner, trying to figure out what to do. She could feel him again, feel his presence; it was like the half of her soul that had been missing had suddenly and violently returned, and she had the bruises to prove it.

 

It had caught her so by surprise, almost like a sucker punch to the chest, that it had knocked the wind out of her. She had fallen to her knees, clutching her chest as she tried to breathe. It had only lasted a few seconds, but it had been excruciating. She had stared at the concrete market floor, wide-eyed, as she realized what had just happened. The choked sob that had escaped her throat had nearly sent the kindly baker running to the phone to call for an ambulance, but she had just managed to stop him, assuring him that she wasn’t ill. Adrenaline alone was enough to propel her to her feet and get her back to her apartment.

 

Once behind the locked door of her _maisonette,_ she took several minutes to sit and to catch her breath. It was still mid-afternoon, and Paris was only one hour ahead of Wakanda. She had a while to wait before she could go to Bucky and see what was happening.

 

 _Time to see what Steve knows,_ she thought, getting up and walking over to her computer.

 

***

 

_Six Weeks Earlier…._

 

 

The mission in Oman had been the first time she had been in the same room with Steve, Nat, or Sam in well over a year. She had come to a halt, frozen in her tracks, when she walked through the Arrivals terminal at the Muscat International Airport and saw the three of them in their ball caps and sunglasses. The first thought that ran through her mind, hysterically, was _Really? C’mon Nat, you’re better than this._

 

Before she called attention to herself by standing there and staring, she ducked behind a column and pulled up the hood of her jacket, changing her hair from straight and black to dark blonde and wavy. Then she put on her sunglasses and the blankest expression she could muster and kept walking, moving toward the three who were spread out across the walkway. As she reached them, she couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the trio, looking around as if they would actually spot her.

 

She held her breath, making it to the luggage carousel before she exhaled shakily. After retrieving her luggage, she walked out of the terminal, only to turn around and head straight for Departures.

 

After getting back to Paris, she broke into the airlines’ computer systems and purged every record of every flight she’d taken over the last several months. It could have been a coincidence that they were waiting at the exact same airport she was flying into—at the exact same gate and at the exact same time she was arriving. It was also possible that Satan was hosting a snowball fight in hell. Clearly, she’d overlooked this scenario. She hadn’t even considered the possibility that anyone was still looking for her. Why would they?

 

Maybe it was time to step back, take a break, she thought, looking around her little hidey-hole. Maybe it was time to…to what? What else did she have?

 

Without the next mission, what else was there?

 

She spent several weeks creating new IDs, more out of habit than anything else. She listened to the news, catching up on what was happening in the rest of the world. She paid very close attention when the news broke that Brigadier General Glenn Talbot had been shot and gravely injured by an Inhuman during an International Intelligence Inquiry Committee session; his chances of survival were considered slim.

 

 _What did that mean for the ATCU?_ she wondered. Would Ross pull back and regroup, or would he charge ahead in a fury, determined to capture all Inhumans and enhanced individuals, using this attack as justification for whatever he had planned? She texted her adopted mother, checking in and warning her at the same time to be careful.

 

Either way, she reasoned, she needed to be prepared. She had several new IDs, and most of her ammunition had been restocked. She kept her luggage packed and ready to go, just in case.

 

***

 

It was more than an hour before Steve’s phone received the incoming call from T’Challa, and she’d been lying on the bed waiting, staring at the ceiling as feelings she’d thought were long gone suddenly were back, tap dancing painfully on her heart, refusing to be pushed down or ignored no matter how hard she tried.

 

As soon as her computer alerted her that Steve was getting an incoming communication, though, she was moving, turning up the volume on her desktop to listen.

 

Steve: _“Hello?”_

 

T’Challa: _“Good afternoon, Captain.”_

 

Steve: _“Good afternoon, Your Highness. How are you?”_

 

T’Challa: _“I am well. I hope you and your friends are the same.”_

 

Steve: _“We are, thank you.”_

 

She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath as she waited for them to get through the seemingly essential and endless pleasantries.

 

T’Challa: _“I have some very good news for you today, Captain.”_

 

Steve: _“Oh?”_

 

T’Challa: _“Yes, indeed. Sergeant Barnes is awake.”_

 

Despite the fact that she already knew, she took a deep, shuddering breath and tears sprung to her eyes. Just hearing it out loud, that he was awake, caused a hard lump in her throat. He was awake, and she wasn’t there.

 

Steve: _“He—He is? Is he alright? Did the procedure work?”_

 

T’Challa: _“We have yet to test his responses to the trigger stimuli, Captain, but I can tell you that yes, physically, he is fine.”_

 

Steve: _“Do you think I’ll be able to talk to him soon?”_

 

T’Challa: _“As luck would have it, Captain, I am currently standing beside him. Would you like to speak to him right now?”_

 

Steve: _“Yes! Yes, of course!”_

 

There was a pause of several seconds, but then a rough, scratchy voice came over the speakers of her desktop.

 

Bucky: _“Hey, punk, you been stayin’ outta trouble?”_

 

She sobbed outright, slapping her hand over her mouth; obviously no one else could hear her, but she didn’t want to miss anything.

 

Steve: _“Oh, my god, Buck. It’s great to hear your voice. How do you feel?”_

 

Bucky: _“Tired, still pretty punchy. Otherwise, not bad.”_ He cleared his throat. _“Thirsty as hell.”_ There was more rustling heard in the background, and then Bucky was thanking someone softly.

 

Steve: _“I’ll be there to see you as soon as I can, okay, pal?”_

 

Bucky: _“Take your time, Stevie. I got nowhere to be anytime soon.”_ His words were getting a little slurred, a little slower. T’Challa came back on the line.

 

T’Challa: _“He is still very tired, Captain. He is falling asleep again as we speak.”_

 

Steve: _“Is this normal, do you think?”_

 

At this point another person came into the call, the same young woman who had called Steve before.

 

Shuri: _“Hello, Captain Rogers.”_

 

Steve: _“Shuri, hello. Did everything go as planned? Is he really okay?”_

 

Shuri: _“He really is okay, I promise. I am confident that we disabled the trigger responses. Right now his brain is essentially going through a complete restart, so he will be sleeping quite a bit. It is better this way.”_

 

Steve: _“Thank you so much, Shuri. For everything.”_

 

Shuri: _“It was my pleasure, Captain Rogers. Sergeant Barnes is a good man, and he deserves a happy life. Speaking of which—“_

 

T’Challa: _“Okay, Shuri, I will speak to him about it.”_

 

Steve: _“Speak to me about what?”_

 

She could hear the concern in Steve’s voice as he asked the question. When the King came back into the conversation, his voice was quieter, lowered in volume.

 

T’Challa: _“When Sergeant Barnes first awoke, something happened.”_

 

Steve: _“What? What happened?”_

 

T’Challa: _“As soon as he was conscious, he clutched at his chest as if he was in pain—and he called out for someone. For Lexi. He could feel that she was hurting.”_

 

She sat there, stock still, her mouth hanging open. _Oh, my god._ He had felt it, just as she had.

 

T’Challa: _“I don’t suppose you have located her?”_

 

Steve: _“Not yet. Dammit.”_ He sighed. _“We thought we were going to find her in Oman, we were sure of it, but she must have spotted us before we saw her.”_

 

T’Challa: _“I would suggest, if there is any way you could possibly get a message to her, that you try. Sergeant Barnes will be coherent and asking about her very soon, I am certain of it, and you will need to be prepared with an answer.”_

 

Steve: _“We’ll try to figure something out. Until then, please don’t tell him that we’ve lost her—it’ll just drive him to do something rash.”_

 

T’Challa: _“I agree.”_ He paused then. _“We will keep you updated, naturally, Captain. Please let us know when you are able to come for a visit.”_

 

Steve: _“I will. Thank you again, Your Highness, for everything.”_

 

After the call ended, she sat, immobile, for a long time, feeling the pounding of her heart within her chest, and wondering what, exactly, she should do next.

 

***

 

She floated high up, close to the ceiling, looking down at him while he slept. He looked so peaceful, in the dim light of the medical suite; there was just enough illumination for his long eyelashes to leave a shadow on his cheeks.

 

Drawing closer, she could see that he had bathed; his hair was still just a bit damp, splayed out over the pillow. _It will be so wavy when it dries,_ she thought, smiling to herself. _He’ll probably pull it back into a ponytail to keep it out of his face._

 

She heard a small noise, out of place in the quiet room; when she briefly looked around, however, she saw nothing. Refocusing on the man dreaming below her, she passed a misty white hand over his brow. He inhaled slowly, turning his face into the direction her hand had taken.

 

She stared. _Had he felt that?_ Could he sense her touch? Trailing her incorporeal fingertips down the side of his face, he sighed, the tiniest smile coming to his lips.

 

She fell away, her eyes wide, just as he drowsily whispered, “Lexi.”

 

***

 

Shuri stood outside Bucky’s room, her back pressed against the wall by the door. She had been walking into the medical suite to check on him when she had caught sight of the _Umoya_ and had abruptly screeched to a halt, jumping back from the doorway and bumping into the wall with a muffled _thump_.

 

Her pulse was racing as she peeked around the doorway again. The white, shimmering form floated above Bucky’s sleeping body, gently caressing the side of his face with a look of wonder and a tiny smile.

 

When he sighed and whispered something, the apparition drew back quickly and disappeared, leaving Shuri standing there, her heart pounding in her chest. Bringing up Bucky’s file on her tablet, she made an entry and then quickly sent a message to T’Challa:

 

_The Umoya—Lexi—was here. She knows._

 

***

 

Not long—just a couple of days, actually—after he woke up, they took him out of the city, to a small, quiet village in the Border Tribe, outside the capital. Even though they were confident that Shuri’s procedure had been completely successful, Bucky still needed to heal. They felt he would do better somewhere calm and peaceful, and there was a _boma,_ a homestead made up of a group of huts, where he could stay while he recovered.

 

He hadn’t felt the wrenching anguish from Lexi since he first opened his eyes, but there was definitely a current of unease that he knew had to be coming from her. He needed to talk to Steve, to find out what was happening, but for now, Shuri and T’Challa were both insisting that he had to rest first; as he was sleeping in excess of twelve hours a day and still felt exhausted, he didn’t have much choice but to follow their instructions.

 

Shuri had described the procedure to him in full detail. “Just like any computer that has had its hard drive defragmented and its operating system re-booted, your brain needs to run through its start-up program, completely resetting itself. Take some time, relax; allow it to happen naturally.”

 

So they’d given him a sparsely furnished hut, introduced him to the villagers—who welcomed him, despite his rather haggard appearance and lack of limb—and left him to the tranquil, restful environment.

 

The hut was simple, a round clay structure with a grass roof supported by wooden beams. The door was an archway with no actual door to speak of, just a cloth curtain that hung down and could be closed if he needed a small bit of privacy.

 

Shuri visited every day, usually just to talk about how he was feeling physically, and whether he had any questions or concerns. Sometimes, twice a week or so, she brought a psychologist around so Bucky could talk privately about his mental and emotional state. The doctor had tested him with the trigger words, carefully working them into their conversation, and Bucky had had absolutely no reaction to them; repeated tests in both Russian and English had yielded similar results.

 

Bucky was finally free from Hydra’s hold, and it was like the weight of the Universe had been lifted from his abused and tortured shoulders. Other than being increasingly worried about Lexi, Bucky could honestly say that he felt perfectly fine.

 

He just hoped that Stark was taking care of her back at HQ.

 

***

 

Well, maybe he wasn’t fine.

 

Was this something he should tell Shuri? Or the therapist that came to see him? They’d probably think he was crazy. That he was still processing a latent bit of programming, or maybe suffering from paranoia, most likely.

 

Maybe he should wait and talk to Steve. T’Challa had said that Steve was making plans to come and see him, but that it would take a little while, at least; he was in the middle of a mission and couldn’t be pulled away. That was fine—Bucky was working with Shuri almost daily right now, guiding him through his recovery, catching him up on everything he’d missed over the last year. Of course, if he told Steve what was going on there was always the possibility that he might think Bucky was nuts, too. Honestly, he didn’t even know where to start.

 

But he would swear—swear on his _life_ —that there was someone watching him. He could feel it as he moved around, outside the little hut he’d been staying in, but when he’d look over his shoulder, there would be no one there. Once he’d seen one of the village children staring, brow furrowed, at the trees by the lake, and when he had looked in that direction, he thought that he’d seen a shimmer of white—but then he blinked and it was gone. Then he and the boy had looked at each other, wearing identical expressions of bemusement, and the child had whispered, “ _Umoya._ ”

 

He had seen it several more times after that, thinking at first that maybe it was a play of light off the water of the lake; repeated sightings proved, however, that couldn’t possibly be the case. It appeared all over the village, only seen for a moment before vanishing. At least he wasn’t the only one seeing it, he thought to himself. If the kids were seeing it, too, he was probably still sane. Well, mostly sane, anyway. He was trying to be optimistic.

 

“What is _‘Umoya’_?” Bucky asked Shuri one day soon after that as they worked in her lab, and she had looked at him oddly, almost guiltily.

 

“Where did you hear that?” she asked him, looking away as a little frown creased her brow.

 

“One of the village kids said it to me,” he told her casually.

 

“It means ‘Ghost,’” she replied, moving things around on her worktable. “You are definitely the palest person they’ve ever seen,” she chuckled, “but I wouldn’t go so far as to call you a ghost.”

 

He was about to tell her about the shimmering white…whatever…that they’d seen, but decided against it for the time being.

 

“They usually call me ‘ _Ingcuka,_ ’” he mumbled, huffing a laugh.

 

“Yes, the ‘White Wolf,’” she said, smiling. “That is much nicer.”

 

“ _Nicer?_ ” Bucky laughed. “That they’re calling me a wolf?”

 

“Wolves are loyal, highly intelligent, have good instincts, and they mate for life,” Shuri said. “They will lay down their lives to protect their pack.” At Bucky’s wide-eyed expression, she added, “You never have to wonder where you stand with a wolf. You can trust the wolf to lead you.”

 

***

 

Once Bucky was relocated out into the countryside, it was a simple matter to visit him as he slept. She didn’t have to worry about medical staff wandering in or surveillance equipment; though, to be fair, she had stopped caring about that after Bucky had awakened. Now she could just watch him sleep, for hours if she wished, though it was exhausting to stay for long periods at a time.

 

It seemed that he could, actually, feel _something_ when she touched him; what or why that was, she couldn’t say, but he would always turn toward her hand whenever she reached out to him. She tried not to do it often—she was just so confused about her feelings for him that sometimes she couldn’t help herself. Though, to be honest, having feelings about anything at this point was confusing.

 

She had intentionally closed herself off from feeling anything after he had disappeared. When she learned the truth about his decision to go into cryo, she became completely numb as a form of self-preservation. Now that he was back, she couldn’t stop the flood of emotions that bombarded her; she swung wildly back and forth between longing and anger, to the point of disorientation. It was maddening, but she couldn’t seem to stop it.

 

There were nights when her heart ached as she looked at him, when all she wanted to do was hold him in her arms and never leave. Other times, she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about how he’d left her, had chosen to go into cryostasis rather than come back to her or wait for her to get to him. She would get so angry that she would come back to herself and find holes torn in her sheets from her clenched and twisting fists.

 

As the days passed, she watched as his face began to fill out again, he started to regain some color, and his scruffy whiskers grew into a full-fledged beard. After seeing the area around his little hut, she started to visit even during the day, hiding among the trees, watching as he interacted with the villagers. Occasionally she would notice someone looking in her direction; children in particular seemed to be more aware of her presence than the adults. At one point, a little boy’s interest in her shimmery white form even had Bucky looking toward the lightly forested area from which she was observing.

 

She left immediately, coming back to herself in Paris. As she lay there, staring at the ceiling and breathing unsteadily, she came to a conclusion.

 

She may not know what to do with her conflicted feelings about Bucky, but she couldn’t make a decision here. She needed to see him in person.

 

She needed to go to Wakanda.

 

***

 

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” she told Monsieur Joubert, “but I would appreciate it very much if you would hold my belongings.”

 

He stood there, holding another year’s worth of rent in cash. “ _Bien sûr_ _,_ ” he said, and then added in his heavily accented English, “of course.” He looked at her, tilting his head slightly in concern. “Is everything alright?”

 

Fiona James looked at him, most likely for the last time. “That is what I need to find out,” she said, smiling a little sadly. She handed him a phone number—Tony’s private cell number. “If you don’t hear from me by the New Year, please call this number. Tell him that his physical therapist left her things here. He’ll come and get them.”

 

Her luggage was ready to go. It hadn’t taken long at all to box up her equipment and anything else she wasn’t taking. The boxes were stacked neatly in a corner of the room, extra clothes and electronics in front, forgery equipment and long weaponry in the back. For his sake, she hoped Monsieur Joubert didn’t get curious.

 

Once she reached her destination, she would ditch the hard case luggage and transfer everything into the large backpack she would procure to hold the essentials; a few clothing changes, basic toiletries, some food and water, and all the guns and ammunition she could carry.

 

He returned her smile, and she could see in his eyes that he knew this was goodbye. “Be well, _jeune fille,_ ” he said softly, and he leaned forward to place a light kiss on her cheek. “I will keep you in my thoughts.”

 

“ _Merci_ , Monsieur Joubert.”

 

***

 

Flying to Kenya is not an easy proposition. For the average person, the vaccinations required by the CDC and WHO are extensive, so say the least; typhoid, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, cholera, yellow fever, rabies, meningitis, and influenza, simply to get into the country. Luckily, as she wasn’t susceptible to diseases—according to Helen Cho, her body adapted to use any infections she was exposed to, in order to make herself stronger—she only needed to create the documentation without needing the actual injections. _Yay, me_ , she thought sarcastically.

 

Now that she had decided to go see Bucky, she needed to know exactly where he was. She spent several nights pinpointing his location—where he was in Wakanda and his position in relation to recognizable landmarks outside of the country—and finally determined that the village he was staying in was lying on the southeast border of the country. She mapped it out and made her plans.

 

Bringing out a new ID, she flew into Kenya’s Marsabit Airport as Sasha Ambary, a Russian citizen living in Paris, complete with all the proper paperwork and proof of immunization. Not knowing what kind of road conditions she would encounter, she rented a sturdy 4x4, stopping at an outdoor store to pick up a small, dark brown tent, a sleeping bag, and other camping equipment. She also loaded up on water and dried fruit and meat jerky, figuring that she didn’t know how long she would be on her own, so it was best to be prepared.

 

Once she had all of her supplies packed up and her loaded Glock 19s holstered on either side of her, she got behind the wheel and headed west to Wakanda.

 

***

 

“Guys, I’ve got something.”

 

Nat was sitting at her computer, checking out a flagged alert.

 

“What is it?” Sam asked, looking over from where he was sprawled across a horribly uncomfortable couch in a cramped, tiny hotel room.

 

“I’ve got a ‘Sasha Ambary’ flying into Kenya,” she said, clicking on the alert and bringing up the information.

 

“’Sasha Ambary’?” Steve said, coming over to stand behind her.

 

“Uh-huh,” Nat said, bringing up the Russian passport. “I don’t even need Google Translate for this one. ‘Ambary’ is Russian for ‘barns.’” She zoomed in on the passport photo. “And this picture looks a little familiar, doesn’t it?”

 

“Oh, my god,” Sam said, joining the other two. There, on the screen, was very nearly the same blonde, green-eyed girl that Lexi had shown Thor the first time they met.

 

“She flew into Marsabit Airport in Kenya, which is just a couple hundred miles east of Wakanda,” Nat said, pointing out the flight information. “One guess as to where she’s going.”

 

“She’s driving through Kenya alone,” Sam murmured apprehensively.

 

“I think she’s proven that she can handle herself,” Nat replied, arching an eyebrow at him.

 

“I should probably call T’Challa and warn him,” Steve said pensively, looking at Nat’s computer screen with his arms folded across his chest.

 

“Is there even anything he can do about it?” Sam asked, frowning skeptically.

 

Steve huffed a laugh. “No. We know where she’s heading, though, and I did tell him that I’d keep him informed.”

 

“Do you think he’ll tell Barnes?” Nat asked.

 

“I don’t know,” Steve said, shaking his head. “Maybe I should go down there and see Bucky myself.”

 

“We’re almost done here,” Sam nodded. “Think you can hold off another week?”

 

“I guess we’ll find out,” Steve replied.

 

***

 

Over the next several hours, she took the C82 up and over the northern end of the Marsabit National Reserve and then caught the E828 to head southwest. The roads were only passable at best, narrow and crowded, and it was slow going. Road signs were haphazard, most of them barely legible; she was already relying heavily on the GPS on her satellite phone. Once the sun went down, she would need to be even more careful.

 

It was dark by the time she turned west at the E672 through Kargi. Other vehicles on the road thinned out, but she needed to reduce her driving speed due to the lack of light. The roads didn’t improve, and she was grateful for the four-wheel-drive that got her easily over and through the worst of it.

 

She drove for several more hours, following the E672 to the north end of the Mount Kulal Biosphere Reserve before she pulled well off the road—such as it was—and parked her vehicle in a heavily foliaged area. It was pitch dark out, and once she shut off the headlights and turned the engine off, it was like she was in a black hole. She couldn’t see anything, no matter how long she let her eyes adjust.

 

Deciding to wait until daybreak to head out on foot, she climbed into the rear seat to stretch out and get some sleep. The road she had taken had dropped her right at the southeastern edge of Wakanda, and the village where Bucky was living should only be a few miles away.

 

Several hours later, just as dawn began to light up the lush landscape, she filled her backpack with everything she could carry and set out to find Bucky, still not sure what she would do when she saw him again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's awake!! Yay!! :D
> 
> For homework: Re-watch the Black Panther end credit scene. When Bucky comes out of the hut, doesn't it seem like he's looking around for something? Like he's SURE something (or someone) is there? I thought so, too. ;)
> 
> Thanks to all of you for your continued support of this wild beast of a story. I'll do my best to keep it from becoming predictable. XD
> 
> Continued thanks to Google Translate.
> 
> <3


	6. Feels Like Somebody's Watching Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for the reunion!

 

 

Bucky began to wake up, slowly leaving sleep behind. It had been a somewhat fitful night again, dreams of Lexi mixed in with random memories invading his rest; he was fairly certain that this would be the way of it for a long time, if not forever.

 

As he lay there, keeping his eyes closed, becoming more cognizant of his surroundings, he would have sworn that he could smell her body lotion; that soft, warm scent of cocoa butter and vanilla—sunshine and cookies—that always clung faintly to her skin. He inhaled slowly and deeply, and a tiny smile came to his lips.

 

The tiniest rustling noise caught his attention. He froze, not even breathing, as he listened. Whoever it was didn’t seem overly concerned about his reaction to their presence, which told Bucky exactly who it was that had entered his room—well, his hut—as he slept.

 

He cracked one eye open the tiniest bit and confirmed his suspicions. Three tiny, brightly painted faces looked down at him, watching him closely, waiting for some kind of movement. Bucky bared his teeth and growled playfully, sending the children scurrying and laughing from the tiny home.

 

Outside he could hear Shuri teasingly saying, “Are you playing around with that man again?”

 

“No,” one of the children laughed.

 

After rubbing his eyes, he sat up and glanced around the room, sighing resignedly, wishing that he could go back to sleep so that he could keep dreaming of her. “God, I miss you, Lexi,” he whispered, getting carefully to his feet. He adjusted the red _kanga_ that he was wearing and wandered out the doorway.

 

The children scattered, joyously calling out, _“Ingcuka! Ingcuka!”_

 

He looked around guardedly, as if hoping his dreams would somehow be made reality and that Lexi would be there, waiting for him. Taking a deep breath to tamp down his disappointment, he walked over to Shuri, where she stood by the small lake.

 

“Good morning, Sergeant Barnes,” she said, squinting at him a bit in the early morning light.

 

“Bucky,” he corrected her gently. He wasn’t a Sergeant anymore. He wasn’t sure what he was, to tell the truth.

 

“How are you feeling?” she asked cautiously, looking at him as if she could sense his disquiet.

 

“Good,” he replied, nodding slightly. “Thank you,” he said politely.

 

Shuri looked at him, seeing the sadness and fatigue that still hung heavily on his shoulders from time-to-time, and she smiled at him kindly. “Come,” she said. “Much more for you to learn.” She began walking toward the vehicle that would take them both to her lab.

 

Bucky stood, looking at the sunrise over the lake for a few more seconds before he turned to follow her.

 

Inside his hut, a young woman sat against the wall farthest from the door with her knees pulled up to her chest, her eyes wide as she stared at the spot where Bucky had been sleeping. Tears clung to her lashes and tiny, gasping breaths escaped her.

 

***

 

This was the first time she had snuck inside his hut as he slept. She had been watching him for several days, always staying out of sight at what she considered a safe distance; in the trees, on the opposite side of the small lake, from the edges of the village.

 

Getting across the border into Wakanda had been a little tricky; there was an actual force field preventing unauthorized crossings. Luckily, she had seen the way the sunlight bounced off the field and hadn’t walked into it; judging from the charred remains of the stick she had thrown at it, it wasn’t forgiving. It had taken a bit of searching, but she had found an area where two large boulders had created a small gap in the field; she had dug out a trench and shimmied underneath and between them, pushing her pack ahead of herself, before getting back on course.

 

She had found a small clearing, just inside the Wakandan border, where she’d been able to stash her camping gear; she kept her weapons either holstered or in her backpack, not willing to leave them unattended, carrying them with her when she made the trek to the village, which was only a few miles away. There were lots of children in and around the village, and she wasn’t about to take the risk of them finding a cache of arms hidden at the base of a tree.

 

It took an hour or so to find the correct homestead. The village sprawled across a wide area, groups of huts gathered here and there. One of the homesteads, she was astounded to discover as she passed at a distance, was raising the largest rhinos she had ever seen. They seemed remarkably docile, gently nudging the men and women that were caring for them and feeding them, yet when one of the huge animals began trotting across the enormous fenced-in pen area, she could feel the ground shaking from more than a hundred yards away. These were clearly more than just pets.

 

She continued on, recognizing landmarks from her projected travels, so she knew she was on the right track and getting closer. When she finally caught sight of Bucky for the first time, though, she had actually found it difficult to breathe, sitting down, hard, right where she was, unable to tear her eyes away from him. She drank in the sight of him, seeing everything that was the same—and everything that was different. The lack of a left arm was the most obvious difference, of course, but his posture and his countenance had undergone changes also. She was torn—part of her wanted to race over to him and jump on him, hug him and kiss him and never let him go; the other part wanted to race over to him and jump on him, and then beat the ever-loving crap out of him for hurting her so badly.

 

In the end she did neither, as the young woman—Shuri, she was certain her name was—came and picked him up just a few minutes later and took him away.

 

This pattern went on for a few days before she gathered the courage to get close enough to his hut to go inside. She snuck in as quietly as possible, stunned when Bucky didn’t wake up the second she crossed the threshold. The sun would be coming up in an hour or so; she watched his face as he dreamed, his eyes moving under his eyelids, as the room slowly lightened.

 

 _He’s still so beautiful,_ she thought, staring at his lips as they twitched almost into a smile. She felt herself weakening, to the point that she began to lean forward, ready to crawl across the floor to his side, when suddenly she heard the children whispering and giggling outside.

 

She pushed back against the wall, as far from the doorway as she could, drawing her knees up into her chest. _Don’t see me_ , she thought quickly, repeating it over and over as the three little ones with their brightly painted faces tiptoed inside and stood over Bucky, their hands on their knees, watching him and waiting for a reaction.

 

She saw the moment he left sleep behind, inhaling deeply and slowly, a smile pulling at the corners of his lush, deeply pink lips. One of the children moved his foot, causing the tiniest sound, and Bucky froze immediately. Just a few seconds later, he growled quietly, baring his teeth, and the kids ran outside, laughing happily. She could hear the young woman, Shuri, chiding them playfully. _She’s here early today_ , she thought sadly.

 

Bucky lay there for another few seconds, rubbing his eyes, before he sat up and looked around, his eyes sliding right past where she sat, huddled in on herself. “God, I miss you, Lexi,” he whispered as he pushed himself to his feet and slowly walked toward the doorway, pausing for a second before going outside.

 

She listened to Bucky and Shuri speaking for a moment before they left. She stayed inside the hut, tears threatening, until she was sure they were gone.

 

Just hearing her name from his lips, a name she hadn’t answered to in so long, was such a shock that it took her a few moments just to collect herself. She hadn’t thought of herself using that name in what felt like a lifetime; she almost laughed that she had been so surprised to hear him say it. _Or maybe you’re just surprised that he was even thinking of you at all,_ she thought to herself as a single tear fell.

 

***

 

The odd, overwhelming feeling that Lexi was nearby continued, unabated, for several more days. Bucky never saw anything concrete to prove that he was right, which was maddening. _If she’s here, why doesn’t she show herself?_ He needed to know so he could stop questioning his own sanity.

 

Wouldn’t Steve have told him if there was even the remotest possibility that Lexi could be there? Yet Steve hadn’t said anything about her during their brief phone call, and Bucky hadn’t been clear-headed enough to ask anything important; all this time, he had been working under the assumption that Lexi was still at HQ in New York. He knew that he had been in cryo for more than a year, and even if Steve and Tony weren’t talking yet, Bucky had hoped at least that his best friend had made sure the woman he loved was safe and cared for.

 

Finally, after a week, Bucky couldn’t stand it anymore. He borrowed Shuri’s phone and called Steve.

 

“Buck! Hey, how are you?” he asked, clearly happy to hear his best friend’s voice. It sounded like he was driving somewhere. “We just wrapped up here, and I was about to call to see if now would be a good time to visit.”

 

“Hey, Steve. I’m fine, but I need to ask you something important. It might sound weird, but I need to know,” Bucky said, cringing as he heard himself. _Yeah, that won’t freak him out at all,_ he thought to himself.

 

Again, he had only spoken to Steve one other time. It had been just an hour or so after he had woken up, before he relocated to the _boma_ with the Border Tribe. He hadn’t even been fully cognizant at that point, really only able to say a few words to assure the man that he was alive and well. Now, a couple of weeks later, he was wide awake and aware that he needed answers.

 

“Uh, sure. What do you need?” Steve asked, and Bucky thought he could hear something in Steve’s voice, almost like he was nervous.

 

Bucky decided to be completely direct. “Is Lexi still at HQ?”

 

For a few seconds, Bucky heard nothing but the sound of the car Steve was driving in. Then Steve sighed, and Bucky knew his answer. That was the same sound he’d made when Bucky had shown up in that alley so many years before, wearing his dress uniform and getting ready to ship out for England. It was the sound of defeat.

 

“No,” Steve said sadly, “she’s not.”

 

“Where is she, Steve?” he asked, fear tying a huge knot in his stomach as he immediately got to his feet. “Did Ross get her? Talbot? Did—did Hydra or the ATCU take her? Where is she?”

 

“No, Buck, nothing like that,” Steve rushed to assure him. “She left HQ, vanished one night about a year ago. Packed everything, erased herself, and left.”

 

“Why? Why would she do that? Wasn’t she safe there?” Bucky asked, confused and upset, pacing almost frantically as Shuri watched him out of the corner of her eye, biting her bottom lip as she continued working.

 

“It’s a long story, and I don’t think my battery will last long enough to tell it.” He paused again and then asked cautiously, “Is there a reason why you’re asking? Other than the obvious, of course.”

 

“Yeah, but it’ll sound crazy,” Bucky said, wincing a little.

 

“Try me,” Steve replied, huffing a laugh.

 

“I can feel her,” Bucky started quietly. “I swear she’s here, I can feel her, like she’s right next to me, because I—I can smell her lotion…but then I turn around and there’s no one there. And—” he cut himself off.

 

“And what?”

 

“Something we’ve been seeing,” he continued. “I noticed one of the village kids staring one day, off into the trees, and there was something there. I don’t know what it was, but it was kind of shimmering and white, and the kid called it—he called it—“

 

“ _Umoya,_ ” Steve finished quietly. “The Ghost.”

 

“Yeah,” Bucky said, surprised. “How did you know that?”

 

“I should probably tell you this in person.”

 

“What’s going on, Steve?” Bucky asked, tension tightening his chest again.

 

“There’s something you need to see.”

 

***

 

“I’ll tell you what I know.”

 

They sat together in T’Challa’s office the very next day; the King and Shuri were there, too, and Steve told Bucky everything, starting with the last time Bucky had seen her; how she had deteriorated after Bucky’s capture, how she had started having trouble controlling her anger so she had shut down completely instead. He told Bucky about Ross’s visit, the truth about her parents and how Lexi had reacted, and the phone call with her mother.

 

“Goddammit!” Bucky shouted angrily, jumping to his feet. “That sonofa—“

 

“I know, Buck,” Steve said, trying to calm him. “That’s the same day I found out that Peggy passed, so everything that happened after that, I found out from Tony.”

 

Bucky sat down heavily. “Peggy’s gone?” he asked softly.

 

Steve nodded, looking down at the floor. “In her sleep. It was peaceful. Her funeral was the same day as the Vienna bombing. I was one of her pall bearers.” Seeing the broken look on his friend’s face, he said, “Sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

 

Bucky nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat, mourning the friend he hadn’t been able to say goodbye to. After that, he listened as Steve recounted what had happened with Lexi while they were in Berlin and Siberia, and then what he knew from Tony and Wanda when Bucky went into cryo.

 

“She felt it,” Steve said softly, not able to meet Bucky’s eyes, “when you went into cryo. She collapsed. Wanda said her pain was—it was—“ he shook his head, unable to finish. “I’m sorry,“ Steve said, swallowing hard. “I should have found a way to go see her, to try to explain—“

 

“Steve,” Bucky interrupted, “if you’d gone back to the U.S., you’d have been arrested.” He sighed, looking at his hands. “I’m the one that screwed everything up.”

 

“You made the choices you needed to make at the time,” T’Challa said, trying to stem the tide of self-blame before it got out of hand. “Captain Rogers, why don’t you continue?”

 

Steve nodded and picked up the story again. “Tony told me that she was unconscious for fifteen or sixteen hours, but that after she woke up, she was different, changed somehow. She said she knew where you were, but wouldn’t explain where or how she knew. She left HQ about a month later,” he said. “We’re pretty certain she made multiple phony IDs, and that she was in Greece at one point—“

 

“Why do you think that?” Bucky asked.

 

“There was an…incident…at a hotel in Athens,” he said, looking at his hands. “A few dozen rooms were destroyed.”

 

“Why would you think Lexi had anything to do with that?” he asked, confused.

 

“Wanda felt her, how upset she was, and I—I saw her,” Steve admitted. “Here, in your medical suite.”

 

“What? She was here? How?” Bucky asked, his eyes wide.

 

“Yes and no,” Steve explained. “I don’t know what it was, how she was here, but…not. It was a white, shimmery outline of her. She could see me, and hear me, but…but she couldn’t speak or touch me. She was like a shadow of herself, I guess.” He looked at Bucky, who just sat there, stunned and in disbelief. “You didn’t know she could do this?”

 

“No,” Bucky whispered, swallowing hard. He cleared his throat. “What was she doing here?”

 

“Watching over you, we think, making sure you were alright,” he replied. “Um, anyway, she saw me and it was very obvious that she was incredibly upset; furious, really. Wanda felt how angry she was, and the hotel rooms in Athens were destroyed at the same time.”

 

T’Challa played the medical suite security video footage for Bucky.

 

“That’s what I saw,” Bucky nodded at the screen, looking at the apparition.

 

“She came back one more time after that, a few days later,” Steve said after the footage was done. “Sam and Clint and I had written a letter, and Clint tried to talk to her, to explain what had happened with you, that you had requested being put back under…” he trailed off. “She didn’t take it well. No one saw her for months after that.”

 

“She hates me,” Bucky whispered. He dropped his face into his hand. “Oh, my god, she hates me.”

 

“But you think she’s here, like, _physically_ here, now? If she hated you, she wouldn’t be here,” Steve said, shaking his head. “If I had to guess, I’d say she’s hurt. Hurting like hell, probably, but she knows you’re awake now and still wants to be sure you’re okay.”

 

“I’m probably just imagining things,” Bucky sighed. “Wishful thinking.”

 

“Probably…not, actually,” Steve disagreed. When the others looked at him questioningly, he said, “We’re fairly certain she flew into Kenya about a week and a half ago.”

 

“How would you know that?” Bucky asked with a bewildered frown.

 

“Nat figured out how to track Lexi when she travels by air,” Steve said, a little smile quirking up one corner of his lips. “Turns out Lexi isn’t too terribly different, even now.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Bucky said, more confused than ever.

 

“She’s made possibly a few dozen IDs,” Steve reiterated. “Nat spotted the similarity. The last ID we think she used was a Russian National, living in Paris, by the name of Sasha Ambary.”

 

Bucky barked out a surprised laugh, disbelief on his face. “What? Ambary? Are you serious?”

 

Steve was chuckling and nodding, and Bucky couldn’t have peeled the smile off his face even if he’d wanted to.

 

“I don’t understand,” Shuri said quietly. “What is ‘Ambary’?”

 

“Ambary is Russian for ‘barns,’” Bucky laughed, “the farm buildings, not the surname.” He looked back at Steve. “And she’s done that with other IDs?”

 

“We found lots of them,” Steve nodded. “All different languages, all meaning ‘barns.’” He turned to look at T’Challa, who had been observing all of them quietly. “She landed in Kenya and rented an SUV, a 4x4 under that name, about ten days ago. She’s most likely already here.”

 

T’Challa nodded. “We will keep an eye out along our borders in case of trouble.”

 

“What was she doing with a bunch of different IDs? Where was she flying?” Bucky asked, curious.

 

Steve winced a little, and Bucky’s eyes narrowed. “We have our suspicions,” he said, “but I want to check it out thoroughly first before saying anything.”

 

“I wish she’d talk to me,” Bucky said, frustrated. “I want to explain everything.”

 

“So tell her. The next time you think she’s close by, just start talking. Maybe she’ll stick around and listen.”

 

***

 

Shuri took him back to the village afterward. Bucky knew something was wrong, since she had trouble meeting his eyes, but he wasn’t expecting it when she said, “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about Lexi.”

 

He looked at her quizzically. “What do you mean?”

 

Shuri sighed as she brought the vehicle to a stop. Sitting there for a few seconds, she explained. “I had seen the _Umoya_ while you were in cryostasis. I had even spoken to my brother about it, but he never told me that he knew who she was. He didn’t tell me until after we woke you up and you asked for her.” She glanced at him briefly, apologetically. “He made me promise that I wouldn’t discuss it with you. He said that Captain Rogers needed to be the one to explain it.”

 

They climbed out of the little hovercraft and began walking toward the _boma_ where Bucky was staying. “’S not your fault,” he said, shaking his head. “Your brother didn’t have the full story either, from what I can tell, so it probably was best that Steve was the one to tell me.” He glanced around then, stopping to look over the small lake. “I just hope he’s right and that she doesn’t hate me.”

 

Shuri reached over and took his hand, giving it a friendly squeeze. “I’m sure she doesn’t,” she smiled. “She’s figuring things out, just like you are.”

 

Bucky grinned at her. “You’re pretty smart for a kid,” he teased. He gave her a little kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

 

“Of course,” she said, stepping back in the direction of her vehicle. “Have a good night.”

 

“You, too, Princess,” he smiled.

 

He turned around, intending to wander over to his hut, when suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. Standing there, right in front of him, was Lexi.

 

Bucky was so shocked at the sight of her that he couldn’t move. She was dressed in military gear—boots, cargo pants, and a sleeveless shirt, all in shades of black and dark green—and had room for at least two firearms, indicated by the empty holsters under her arms, and two knives strapped on that he could see.

 

She was thinner; the definition in her arms was even more pronounced than it had been before, and her cheek- and collarbones stood out even more clearly, but she exuded power from every pore. No one looking at her could possibly think she looked weak, as the air around her practically crackled with energy. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck and his mouth went completely dry at the sight of her. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

 

Beautiful and _angry._ Her irises were black and her fists were clenched at her side. “I guess you _didn’t_ miss me that much,” she whispered harshly.

 

“Oh, my god, Lex—“ he gasped, when her eyes quickly darted to the left, to where Shuri was standing stock still, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging slightly open. “Lexi, baby girl, it’s not what you thi—“

 

Lexi shrieked at him, a wordless sound full of hurt and betrayal, and he was immediately thrown off his feet, tossed away like a rag doll. He landed on his back, knocking the wind out of him. By the time he was able to push himself up to a sitting position, she had disappeared.

 

“So,” Shuri said, clearly taken aback as she helped him back on to his feet, “that is your Lexi?”

 

“Yeah,” he sighed, grimacing as he looked around and brushed himself off. “That’s her.”

 

“I’m guessing that there is far more to her than my brother told me.”

 

“He doesn’t know the half of it, I’m sure.”

 

Shuri looked at Bucky sympathetically, shaking her head. “You are in deep _ngxaki,_ my friend.”

 

He nodded, frowning. “You can say that again.”

 

***

 

God, _why_ couldn’t she control her emotions? She’d decided to go to him, to see him and finally talk to him, hoping that he would be happy to see her; instead, she’d heard him talking quietly and walked out of his hut to see them there, holding hands, Bucky kissing Shuri on the cheek, calling her _princess_ —and she’d seen _red_. Absolute fury had washed over her and she had lashed out, pushing him away in a violent rage.

 

She ran back to her campsite, not knowing what she would do next. Should she just leave? Would he even care? Would he just move on with his life? The thought hurt so much that she dropped to her knees, her breath stolen from her.

 

Whatever she did next, she needed to stop and get her shit together first. She couldn’t make any decisions when her heart and mind were such a swirling mess of feelings that she couldn’t even make heads or tails of them.

 

She finally made it back to her little tent, and she crawled inside, curled up in a ball, and tried not to fall apart, shaking and gasping until she finally fell asleep.

 

***

 

It was days before Bucky felt her presence again. He had started to be concerned—really, truly concerned—that she wouldn’t come back at all. The pain, the anger on her face felt like a knife to his gut, and even knowing that it was just a misunderstanding didn’t help matters, especially if she didn’t come back.

 

Seeing her again had left him so agitated that he didn’t know what to do. He missed her—god, he missed her _so much_ —and just knowing that she was nearby was driving him crazy.

 

After exacting a promising that she would say nothing of Lexi’s appearance, Bucky told Shuri that he needed to stay close to the _boma_ until she returned. He had considered going out to look for her, had even made a few circuits around the lake, moving further and further out; if there was one thing her knew about Lexi, though, it was that he couldn’t force her to talk to him. She would come back to him when she was ready, or she wouldn’t come back to him at all. If she felt pressured, she could easily disappear forever.

 

So, days later, when he finally sensed her nearby again, he tried to stay calm. He set down the straw bale he was attempting to tie up and wandered into the trees by the lake, not wanting anyone else around to possibly intrude. He sat down by a large kassod tree, facing the water, closed his eyes, and just started talking. He needed to tell her in his own words what had happened, and he just hoped that she would listen.

 

“I’m so sorry, baby girl,” he began. “I know you’re hurt, and that it’s my fault, and I’m so sorry.”

 

He could still feel her; he was positive she was there, so he continued.

 

“After what happened in Berlin, I was terrified that someone—anyone—could turn me again, turn me back into the Soldier, and that I wouldn’t be able to stop them,” he said, huskily, his voice sounding thick. “I hurt so many people, Lexi,” he swallowed hard, tears pricking the corners of his eyes, “and I was so ashamed. I was ashamed that I hadn’t been strong enough to stop Zemo, or Pierce, or Zola, or any of the other Hydra assholes that have used me, over and over, for seventy goddamn years, and I couldn’t face the possibility, or take the chance, that it could happen again.

 

“I know I hurt you, kitten, and there’s probably nothing I can do or say to make this last year up to you, or if you even want to speak to me again—“

 

“You left me.”

 

“Lexi?” he said, standing up and turning quickly.

 

There she was, standing about fifteen feet away, staring at him with a forlorn expression, her eyes darkening. Her fingers twitched at her side. “You left me,” she repeated, her voice a broken whisper. “You promised that you’d never leave me, that you would always come back.”

 

“I’m so sorry, baby—“

 

 _“You promised me!”_ she screamed at him, her hands clenching into tight fists, and suddenly it was like a giant hand pushed him away, picked him right up and threw him. He landed about twenty feet from where he’d been standing; he rolled and got back onto his feet, trying to keep his balance.

 

He looked at her, and even at the greater distance, he could see how dark her eyes were. Even now, when she seemed relatively calm, her eyes were completely black.

 

_Oh, shit._

 

He approached her slowly, keeping his hand up where she could see it. “Lexi,” he said, “please, sit with me. Let’s talk, okay?”

 

“You didn’t trust me,” she said, her expression never wavering.

 

“I didn’t trust _me,_ sweetheart,” he said, shaking his head. “I didn’t trust myself to be anywhere near you.”

 

“I could have helped you—“

 

“I could have killed you.”

 

“You did.”

 

Bucky looked at her in shock, not understanding. “What?” he asked, shaking his head in confusion.

 

“Do you have any idea how it feels to have half of your soul ripped away?” she asked, a tear rolling down her cheek. “Because that’s how it felt when you went under.”

 

“I—I didn’t—“ Bucky started to say.

 

“I thought you were dead,” Lexi said tonelessly, “because I couldn’t feel you anymore.” She swallowed then, her breath hitching slightly. “It was so dark and so cold, and all I wanted was to be with you. I wanted to die, too.”

 

Bucky heart squeezed painfully in his chest. “Baby girl, I’m so—“

 

“Do you want to know what stopped me?” she whispered. “What changed my mind?”

 

“What, baby? What changed your mind? Tell me, please,” he said, practically begging.

 

“Revenge,” she answered him softly, looking just over his shoulder, her eerily black eyes staring off into the distance. “The part of me that kept the dark away, the part that wanted to be good—it died with you. The only thing I wanted after that was to find the people who took you away and make them hurt—hurt as badly as I was hurting.”

 

Suddenly her eyes zeroed in on his again.

 

“And then I found out it was you, all along.”

 

“But—“ Bucky started to say, a really bad feeling settling in his stomach, “but isn’t it over now? I mean, I know you’re angry with me, and you have every right to be—“

 

“It’s not over.”

 

“Why not?” he asked desperately. “We can work this out, Lex, I know we can.”

 

“I’m not the same person I was before. _You hurt me_ —and that part of me that still feels dark and cold wants its revenge.”

 

Again he felt her _push_ against him, and he flew—right into the middle of the lake. Bucky came up, spluttering—the lake was only chest deep on him—and looked for Lexi on the shore.

 

She was gone.

 

***

 

When Bucky woke up a week or so later, there was a silver chain necklace bearing a titanium ring on his pillow. He recognized them instantly, though he hadn’t seen them in well over a year.

 

He sighed in relief, swallowing hard. She hadn’t left—not yet, anyway. The fact that Lexi had been carrying this with her still, even after she had found out the truth, had to be a good sign, right? She was here, she had spoken to him—even though she was furious and had every reason to be—had to mean that she hadn’t written him off completely. He had to believe that.

 

So he slipped the necklace over his head, the ring settling over his heart. Maybe, someday, if— _when_ —she was feeling a little less angry, he’d ask Lexi to undo the clasp on the chain so that he could wear the ring on his right hand again.

 

Until then, he would keep trying to earn her forgiveness. Which wasn’t going to be easy.

 

***

 

He saw Lexi occasionally after that, here and there. She stayed to the trees, far away from the villagers. Bucky would smile and wave; sometimes she vanished instantly, sometimes she stared at him for a few seconds before disappearing.

 

He saw that she was still wearing the matching titanium ring on her left hand, and one day, when she lingered for a few seconds, he held up the chain to show that, yes, he was wearing his, too. He thought he might have seen a tiny smile on her face before she left, but he couldn’t be sure.

 

He never pushed her to stay longer. He knew she would decide for herself when she was ready. As much as it hurt, he understood that this was his penance, and it was one he had to pay to get her back.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo...yeah. Didn't go as well as we hoped. There's a lot of hurt feelings to wade through here. Might take a little while. :/ Honestly, I just wanted it to feel real--it's been an awful year for her.
> 
> I had to re-write this chapter multiple times; things get pretty damn dark when PMS strikes. XD
> 
> All hail Google Translate. ;)
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos and comments! I'm trying to stay a couple chapters ahead and still keep it cohesive without forgetting any of the large number of details. It's challenging, but I hope it will all be worth it. :D
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	7. Opening A Dialogue

 

 

She held out for a little more than a week. For a week after throwing him into the lake, she debated with herself whether to stay or go. She went back to the SUV, which was still parked outside the border in the deep foliage, and then found the nearest town to restock on food and water and wash her clothes before returning to her spot. No one looked at her strangely or seemed to even notice her at all; to them, she would appear to be wholly unremarkable and not worth remembering. She walked among them, visible yet completely unseen.

 

She spent a lot of time just wandering through the forested area, breathing the remarkably fresh air and clearing her head—as much as she could, anyway. She was still so confused and hurt and unsure about her feelings, about Bucky, about _everything,_ really, and wondering and what-iffing it all over and over didn’t seem to be helping one damn bit. Not having anyone else to talk to about it didn’t help, either; she just continuously ran hypothetical scenarios through her brain, the uncertain results causing her to veer sharply back and forth between anxiety and anger.

 

After battling her own thoughts for several days, she realized there was only one person she should be talking to about this, and once she did, she would have her answer. She took a deep breath and put her hand over her heart, feeling the ring that she still wore on the silver chain around her neck. If she showed herself to him and he either didn’t care or tried to make excuses, she was leaving—after she threw his ass into the lake again. Honestly, what else could she do? She couldn’t stay in her little campsite forever, and if she was going to be leaving Wakanda by herself, she should just find out now and be done with it—and him.

 

Her decision made, she waited until just before daybreak the next morning to leave for the village. She entered his hut while he was sleeping and left the silver chain with the titanium ring beside his head on the pillow. Then she backed away, leaving as silently as she came. If he wore it, she would know how he felt and they could begin to move forward; if he didn’t, then she would get that message loud and clear, too.

 

When he came out of his hut later and saw her, standing by the trees, for the first time after her extended absence, he smiled so widely, so clearly relieved that she was still there, that Lexi thought his face was going to split. She felt such a jumble of emotions, all at once, that she had to leave immediately—she hadn’t been prepared for that enthusiastic a reaction, and she wasn’t anywhere near ready to forgive, or even talk to him yet, feeling instead confused and overwhelmed and a little frightened, truthfully, at the feeling of her heart leaping for joy at the sight of his genuinely happy smile.

 

So she began to show up, a few minutes here, a few minutes there, hiding in the trees, away from the village, still not letting him get very close. He seemed to understand her trepidation, simply smiling and waving, and not trying to approach her. One afternoon, when she lingered for a little while, he reached inside his shirt and pulled out the silver chain, showing her the ring still hanging from it. She had to leave quickly before he saw the grin that was threatening to break free.

 

He tried, after she had visited several times, to get a little closer to her; she left immediately. He learned quickly after that—she would determine proximity, not him. The next time he saw her, he sat down, right where he was, watching her. “Hi, sweetheart,” he said softly. “I’ll stay right here if you have something you want to say.”

 

The first time this happened, she frowned at him, startled and unprepared; not knowing what to do, she disappeared.

 

The second time it happened, she stayed where she was, but didn’t speak. After ten minutes, when Bucky still didn’t move or say anything, she disappeared again.

 

The third time, she asked him if he was serious. “As a heart attack, baby girl,” he replied, thrilled that she had actually spoken to him. “I will stay here as long as it takes for you to be ready to talk to me.”

 

The fourth time, she sat down. There they stayed, for more than half an hour, about twenty feet apart, just looking at each other. Bucky started to smile after a little while, and Lexi had asked, bewildered, “What are you smiling at?”

 

“You,” he said simply.

 

“Why?”

 

“I love you, and I’m just happy to see you and talk with you,” he explained, grinning. The fact that she looked surprised by his answer felt like a knife to his heart, though he tried his best to cover his reaction.

 

The fifth time was a bit of a setback. Bucky had smiled upon seeing her, naturally; she had responded in return, warmth blooming through her, and she had taken a few steps toward him like it was the easiest thing in the world. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she stopped immediately, becoming anxious and breathing faster, beginning to panic as she backed away. Bucky started to approach her, concerned for her—so, naturally, she threw him into the lake and left.

 

She was gone for several days before coming back, and when she did, she looked rather contrite. “Sorry about that,” she said softly, pointing vaguely toward the lake.

 

Bucky sat down. “That’s okay,” he smiled. “It’s just water.” He tilted his head to look at her. “Are you alright?”

 

Lexi nodded, but she was frowning a little. “I think so,” she said. She came a few steps closer and sat down facing him. “Actually,” she sighed, shaking her head sadly, “no, I’m not. Not even close. I want to be alright, though. I’m trying to be.”

 

“It’ll take time,” Bucky nodded. “I talk to a therapist a couple of times a week. He keeps reminding me that recovery isn’t a straight line, that there are good days and bad days, the usual stuff.”

 

“Yeah,” Lexi agreed. She huffed a small, cynical-sounding laugh. “Not sure how much time it’s going to take for me to get my head together, though. Things are pretty messed up in there.”

 

“We have all the time in the world, sweetheart,” he replied. “I’m not going anywhere.”

 

She looked at him, not sure when—or if—she would let herself believe him.

 

***

 

From then on, things relaxed between them a bit more. Lexi rarely vanished without a word, and she had stopped throwing him into the lake. She still only visited for a few hours at a time, and stayed well out of arm’s reach, usually keeping her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them sometimes, almost as if she was trying to hold herself together. Sometimes when she was especially non-verbal, he would look at her, only to find her staring off into space with unseeing eyes and an empty expression. He knew that look; he’d worn it every time he was out of cryo for seventy years.

 

“Have you told anyone that I’m here?” she asked one day, after they’d been sitting together for a few minutes. She was resting her cheek on her kneecaps, watching Bucky work.

 

He’d been quietly practicing tying knots one-handed, a well-worn length of rope wrapped around his two outstretched legs. “Shuri knows, but she’s promised not to say anything. Otherwise, no,” he said softly, shaking his head with a little smile. “I figured you wanted it kept between us for now.”

 

“Thank you,” she said, no real expression on her face. She continued to watch him, as if his repeated motions were soothing to her.

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

***

 

“Would you mind?” he asked her one afternoon, after they’d been talking for a while.

 

She looked over at him, confused. Would she mind what?

 

He was holding a hank of rope in her direction. “I need to braid this, but I can’t get it tight enough,” he explained. “If I hold this end, could you braid it for me?”

 

“Oh, sure,” she said, taking it from him. He held onto the one end while she quickly wove the three lengths together in a tight plait. “Is that okay?” she asked once she reached the end.

 

“Yeah, that’s perfect.” He handed her a bit of twine to tie it off. When she was finished, she handed it back to him. “Thanks, love,” he said. She frowned slightly, as if bewildered by the endearment.

 

“What do you need that for?” she asked curiously.

 

“One of the village puppies keeps coming around and chewing my sandals,” he grinned, holding up the rope. “Thought I’d give him a proper chew toy to work on instead.”

 

“Hmm,” Lexi hummed, a little smile coming to her face as she drew her knees up again. “I’d forgotten about puppies. They’re cute.”

 

“You’d forgotten about puppies?” he asked with a frown. “I don’t understand.”

 

“I pretty much stopped thinking about anything happy for a long time there,” she admitted, looking out over the water with that blank expression again. “It hurt too much.”

 

After a minute or so, he started to ask, “Do you want to talk about—“

 

“No.” A few seconds later, she added in a whisper, “Not yet.”

 

“Okay,” he said, not pushing the subject, though he did add, “When you do want to talk, though, I’m here, ready to listen, alright?”

 

She nodded a little, responding with a barely audible, “I know.”

 

***

 

They sat together, close but not touching, after Bucky had returned from talking to his therapist. He was trying to get her to eat; she picked absentmindedly at some fruit and nuts he’d brought out. They were both in a thoughtful mood, neither of them saying much, seemingly satisfied to sit quietly, when Bucky broke the silence.

 

“Can I ask you a question?”

 

She frowned a little, just the tiniest furrow appearing briefly between her brows. “Okay,” she said.

 

“Where do you go every night?” he asked, turning his head to look at her.

 

“I have a campsite a couple miles from here,” she said, being deliberately vague.

 

“And you have food there? Shelter?”

 

“Yes,” she replied. She didn’t mention the backpack she carried with her every day that was full of provisions and weapons, as well as the keys to the SUV that still waited just beyond the border. The pack was hidden high up in a tree just a few hundred feet away. She could see the tree from where they sat, actually; if any of the village children got too close—or if someone came for her—she could get to it quickly.

 

They were quiet for a little while after that, though Lexi knew better than to think he was done with his questions. He was just gearing up to ask the really big ones. A couple of minutes later, he continued.

 

“Would you consider staying with me, here?” he asked softly. “I know you can take care of yourself, but there are a lot of wild animals out there.”

 

Lexi laughed. She actually laughed, though it wasn’t the light, carefree sound Bucky remembered; it sounded sad and cynical, almost bitter, in a way that made Bucky’s heart ache.

 

“Compared to some of the people I’ve—“ she said before cutting herself off and clearing her throat. “I’m pretty close to the border field, and most of the animals seem to know to steer well clear of it. I’ve seen a fair share of monkeys, and a fox once, but that’s it.”

 

“But would you consider it?” Bucky asked. “I wish you would. I worry about you.”

 

“Maybe,” Lexi said. “Not yet, but maybe.”

 

“Okay,” Bucky nodded, willing to let it drop for now.

 

***

 

Shuri surprised Bucky a couple of days later with a visitor. She arrived in the morning in her hovercraft, and Steve got out of the passenger side, grinning widely. “Buck!” he shouted, jogging over to his friend and pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. “It’s been too long! It’s so good to see you!”

 

“You, too,” Bucky smiled, standing back and slapping him on the shoulder. “Came to check out my glamorous lifestyle in the country?”

 

“It was definitely a bonus portion of the visit. You look great,” Steve said, stepping back to look at him. “The kilt suits you.”

 

“It’s not a kilt, you heathen,” Shuri chided him, smacking him on the arm. “It’s a _kanga_ , the traditional clothing of the Border Tribe _and_ the Maasai Warrior.”

 

“My apologies, Your Highness,” Steve grinned in return, clearly teasing both of them. “Bucky’s always had nice legs. It’s about time he got to show them off.”

 

“Shut it, punk,” Bucky growled playfully, a blush coming to his cheeks.

 

“Aww, he thinks he looks scary, that’s adorable,” Shuri laughed, turning to leave. “I’m going back to my lab. Are you two coming?”

 

Bucky looked over his shoulder toward the trees. Not seeing any sign of Lexi, he said, “Uh, yeah, we can do that.”

 

“Everything okay?” Steve asked, his eyebrows raised.

 

“Yeah, of course,” Bucky nodded. “Just making sure I was done with my chores for the morning.”

 

“Alright, let’s go,” Shuri said, climbing back into her vehicle. Both Steve and Bucky squeezed in, Steve folding himself into a rear seat, and they left.

 

After visiting Shuri’s lab for an hour or so, where she talked about upgrades she was making to some of their communications tech, she took them to the Royal Palace for lunch, and then left them to go back to her lab, agreeing to meet back at the palace in a couple of hours. Bucky and Steve wandered around Birnin Zana, and the real discussion began.

 

“Is she here?” Steve asked, and Bucky didn’t even need to ask to whom he was referring.

 

“Yes,” Bucky replied quietly. He wouldn’t lie to Steve about this, because he knew his friend was worried for Lexi’s safety as well.

 

“Is she okay?” he asked.

 

“Physically, yeah,” Bucky answered. At Steve’s concerned look, he continued. “She’s a little underweight, but still strong as hell. Otherwise, she spooks easily, refuses to be around other people yet, and she gets lost in her head sometimes. We’re talking, but it’s slow going. I’m still working on getting her trust back.”

 

“Is she staying with you in the village?” Steve frowned.

 

“No,” Bucky said with a little frustration. “She’s got a campsite _somewhere,_ won’t tell me where it is, and that’s where she retreats to every night. I know she can take care of herself, but it’s killing me that she’s out there by herself.”

 

“Has she told you yet what she was doing for the last year?” the blond man asked him.

 

Bucky shook his head. “She won’t talk about it.”

 

Steve whistled through his teeth and Bucky looked at him sharply. “Do _you_ know what she’s been doing for the last year?”

 

“Pretty sure, yeah,” Steve said, pursing his lip in contemplation. “She kept herself busy.”

 

“Doing what?” Bucky asked, worried at Steve’s serious demeanor.

 

Steve shook his head a little, as if he still couldn’t believe it. “Following us around—me, Sam, Nat.” He looked over at Bucky, whose eyebrows had climbed up into his hairline. “We think she somehow broke into our untrackable phones and tracked us.”

 

“Why would she follow you guys around?”

 

“You know what we’re doing, right?” Steve asked. “Getting rid of Chitauri-based weaponry?”

 

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded.

 

“She was apparently acting as the unseen fourth member of our group, watching our backs and making sure no one ambushed us.”

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Bucky barked, louder than he had intended. “Sorry,” he said, dropping his voice back down. “Watching your backs how?”

 

“Nat figured it out,” Steve said. “She’s got a bunch of articles if you want to read them, but Lexi was, um,” he exhaled forcefully, “removing obstacles from our path.”

 

Bucky stopped and looked at him in disbelief. “What?”

 

“As far as we can tell, she never actually killed anyone,“ he said, taking in the pale, nearly nauseated look on Bucky’s face. “She did, however, leave a trail of disabled and incapacitated terrorists and arms dealers in her wake.”

 

Bucky made his way over to a bench. “Holy shit, I need to sit down.”

 

“Do you want to see the articles?” Steve asked, dropping down next to him.

 

“No,” Bucky shook his head. “She needs to be ready to tell me this herself.”

 

“One thing I will say,” Steve told him, “I know for a fact she saved our asses in Cairo. She took care of two arms smugglers that were waiting on a rooftop for us with an assault rifle.”

 

“Really?” Bucky asked, stuck in a strange place between horror and pride.

 

“Yeah,” Steve huffed a laugh. “I, uh, I actually thought it was you for a second.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“I saw her,” Steve nodded. “Granted, she was two city blocks away, but I saw her on the rooftop. Long dark hair, sunglasses, she had something over the lower half of her face,” he explained. “I even called T’Challa to see if you were still here.”

 

Bucky sighed. “Jesus,” he exhaled, scrubbing his hand over his thickening beard.

 

They sat there quietly for a minute or two before Steve said, “Take care of her, okay?”

 

“I’m trying to. I really am.”

 

***

 

Bucky came back out to the village by himself, telling Steve that he didn’t want her to take off if she saw him.

 

“Come back soon though, okay?” Bucky said as they exchanged goodbyes at the Royal Palace.

 

“I will,” Steve nodded. “Hopefully next time she’ll be ready to see me.”

 

“She’ll get there,” Bucky nodded. “I just don’t want to push her too hard, y’know?”

 

“I know,” Steve smiled understandingly.

 

“Before we go,” Shuri said, walking up to them. “This is for you.” She handed Bucky a phone that looked similar to the ones she had given Steve and his team months earlier. “It’s an upgraded model with improved facial and voice recognition,” she explained, “and I took the liberty of putting my and Captain Rogers’ number in your contacts.”

 

“Thanks, Shuri,” Bucky grinned, holding it up and taking a picture of Steve and Shuri together.

 

“You’re welcome,” she grinned. “Now let me take you home.”

 

“I’ll talk to you soon, Buck,” Steve said, waving him off as he headed to a meeting with T’Challa.

 

Back at the _boma,_ Bucky entered his hut, happily surprised to find Lexi waiting inside, tucked against the wall, away from the doorway. “Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted her cheerfully, a big smile stretched across his face. He set his new phone down on the table. “I’m glad you came.”

 

“Steve was here,” she said bluntly, watching him cautiously.

 

Bucky nodded, pushing his hair off his face and looking around for a hair band. “He was,” he responded truthfully. “He’s heading back to Nat and Sam now.”

 

Lexi stood up and handed him a hair band that was sitting on top of the little refrigerator. “Did he ask about me?”

 

Bucky took the band from her. “Thanks.” After single-handedly securing his hair into a rather messy half-bun, he looked her in the eye. “He did.”

 

She immediately pulled back, looking wary. “What did you tell him?”

 

“I told him you were here and that you were safe, that’s all,” Bucky said. “I can’t lie to him about that. He loves you and he’s worried about you.”

 

Lexi watched him silently, for nearly a minute, before asking, “Do you think he’ll tell anyone else?”

 

“Sam and Nat, probably,” Bucky shrugged. “They love you, too.” When she didn’t run screaming right away, he added, “He wouldn’t tell anyone here, like T’Challa, if that’s what you’re worried about.” When she still didn’t react, he asked, “Would you help me with something?”

 

She continued watching him intently. “With what?”

 

He reached down the neck of his shirt, pulling the necklace with the ring on it out from underneath. After lifting it over his head, tugging a lock of hair free from his half-bun in the process, he said, “I would like to put my ring on. Can you take it off the chain for me? Please?”

 

She nodded, reaching out for the chain, which he dropped slowly into her palm, the necklace shining against her skin. She undid the clasp and slid the ring off the chain, which she set on the table. Bucky smiled and held his right hand out, and, after hesitating for a second, she carefully put the titanium ring back on his finger.

 

“Thank you,” he said softly. “I know I didn’t get to wear it for very long, but I’ve missed it.”

 

She swallowed and nodded again, looking a bit distracted by the lock of hair that was now trailing down the side of his face.

 

“Can I ask,” he began slowly, waiting for her eyes to come back to his, “how you knew Steve was here?”

 

“I have his phone’s GPS signal on my satellite phone,” she answered honestly. “It alerts me when he travels more than fifty miles at a time.”

 

“So he was right. You are tracking them,” Bucky said.

 

“Yes, I am,” Lexi said unconcernedly, back to staring at the lock of his hair.

 

“You followed them?” Bucky asked softly. “Helped them?”

 

She frowned, stepping toward him suddenly. She reached out to tuck the lock of hair behind his ear and then backed away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

He stood there, stunned; he could still feel the warmth of her hand on his skin, where her fingers had briefly trailed over his cheek. Before he could even react, she walked outside, and by the time he followed her out, she was gone.

 

“Lex, please,” he said, hoping she would hear him. “Please don’t go.”

 

She didn’t answer. He stood there for several minutes, waiting and hoping, before he went back inside.

 

***

 

Steve opened the door to the grungy hotel room in Jordan, slipping inside quickly and shutting it behind him. Nat and Sam looked up from where they were going over plans for their next meeting.

 

“Hey, man,” Sam said easily, trying to gauge Steve’s mood. “How’d it go?”

 

Steve smiled. “It was good,” he said. “Bucky’s doing really well.”

 

“And?” Nat prompted, watching him closely. “Did you ask him about Lexi?”

 

“I did,” he nodded slowly, sitting on the edge of a hard, lumpy bed. “She’s there.”

 

“Thank god,” Sam exhaled roughly, his head dropping down to rest on his arms, which were folded on the desk in front of him.

 

“Is she alright?” Nat asked, narrowing her eyes. Steve’s answer was definitely lacking in details.

 

“He says that physically, she’s fine,” Steve replied. “Underweight, but healthy. Emotionally…she’s not doing so well.”

 

Nat sighed, her brow furrowing slightly. “Has she told him yet? About following us?”

 

Steve shook his head. “Says she won’t talk about it.” He shrugged. “She’s not even staying with him in the village. Buck says she has a campsite where she’s hiding out every night.”

 

Sam pursed his lips and rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s coming to see him, though? Talking to him?”

 

“Yeah,” Steve nodded. “He says they’re talking, but it’s slow. He doesn’t want to push her too hard.”

 

“Girl’s had a tough year,” Sam said quietly. “It’s gonna take a while before she trusts anyone—even Barnes. Hell, maybe _especially_ Barnes.”

 

“I know,” Steve agreed. “At least we know where she is now.” He paused for a second, thinking. “I should probably tell Tony. I’m sure he’s worried about her, too.”

 

“How about we wait until we finish the next mission,” Nat suggested. “You can call him on that crappy phone when we’re on our way out of town.”

 

“We can tell Wanda, then, too,” Sam said.

 

“Good idea,” Steve said. He stood up and stretched. “So where are we heading next?”

 

***

 

A couple of days later they were sitting under a tree, as usual; they watched a few of the village children herding some goats along to their pen with the dubious help of a couple of the aforementioned rambunctious village puppies. Lexi had come by the day before, but she hadn’t wanted to talk at all, appearing to be deep in thought all day. They had sat together silently on and off for several hours, Lexi seemingly content just to be near him. Now, a day later, she seemed more relaxed, almost peaceful in comparison, as if she had come to a decision.

 

Bucky had looked at her quickly when the children first came by, nodding when she calmly said, “They can’t see me. Only you can see me.”

 

“What about the puppies?” he asked, smirking.

 

Lexi tilted her head thoughtfully, a little smile coming to her face. “I don’t know, actually. Never thought about that.”

 

Bucky waited until after the children passed by before saying, “There’re some things I’ve been curious about. Is it alright if I ask?”

 

“You can ask,” she responded, the little smile still on her face.

 

He grinned, knowing exactly what she wasn’t saying—he could ask, but she may not answer. “The white, shimmery outline of you that I saw, the _Umoya_ —“ Lexi huffed a laugh at being called ‘the Ghost,’ “—how did you do that?”

 

Lexi exhaled. “When you went under, I…passed out? Fainted, whatever. I was unconscious for a while. My mother came to see me. She showed me how.”

 

“She showed you how to do that just so you could see me?” Bucky asked.

 

“She showed me that I had the ability to find anyone, anywhere on Earth,” Lexi nodded. “It’s a projection of my consciousness, my mind entering another plane of existence.”

 

His eyebrows rose, trying to absorb the information without freaking out. “And it doesn’t hurt you or anything, right?”

 

“It’s tiring, but that’s all, really.”

 

Bucky nodded, relieved. Hoping to keep her talking, he asked, “What was your plan when you first left HQ?”

 

“Come here, get you back,” she said easily, watching the kids and the animals scamper away. She leaned back against the tree. “Hurt the person who took you.”

 

Bucky frowned a little. “You mean T’Challa?” he asked. Lexi nodded, appearing untroubled. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you before everything happened. It never occurred to me that—I mean, shit,” he sighed, stumbling over his words.

 

“I know,” she said, looking over the gold and green landscape. “I understand now why you did it.”

 

“So you’re not mad at me anymore?” Bucky asked hopefully.

 

“Oh, no, I’m still angry,” Lexi said, neutrally. “I just don’t want to kill T’Challa anymore, that’s all.”

 

“Oh, well, that’s good,” Bucky said, not exactly relieved. “They’ve helped me a lot, you know, him and Shuri.”

 

“I know,” she said again. “Clint told me some of what happened with Zemo.” She turned her head slightly to look at Bucky. “I’d like it if you told me what happened.”

 

“Really?” he asked cautiously. “You want to hear this?”

 

“I want to hear it from you,” she said. “I want to know the truth.”

 

“It’s not a nice story,” Bucky said sadly. “I hurt a lot of people.”

 

“So have I.”

 

This was the first time Lexi had even hinted at what she had done during the last year. He sat for a moment, weighing his options. If he wanted Lexi to open up to him, he needed to be honest with her as well. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

 

He spoke for a long time about what happened, starting with waking up in Rumlow’s holding cell, to escaping the Hydra base in Bulgaria and making his way to Bucharest, Romania. He told her everything; how the smell of cocoa butter helped him remember her and his own name, how he’d gotten a job and an apartment; that he’d spent his free time researching who he was, how afraid he’d been that Lexi didn’t actually exist because he couldn’t find any information about her.

 

Lexi set her left hand down between them, palm up. He glanced at her in surprise; she just looked at her hand, as if she was waiting for him to take it, so he slowly placed his hand on hers, feeling a tiny _clink_ when their rings touched. When she didn’t pull away, but instead gently entwined her fingers with his, he smiled, imagining the smallest weight lifting from his chest.

 

He continued his story, how he read about the Vienna bombing in the paper and all that had happened after that. When he reached the part with T’Challa, Steve, and Sam pursuing him through the streets of Bucharest, Lexi snorted. Bucky looked at her again.

 

“I watched that on the news,” she said. “I wanted to tear the guy in the black cat suit apart.” After getting though the fight at Leipzig Airport, she nodded again. “Saw that, too.”

 

Telling her what had happened in Siberia was the hardest part. Having to admit that he’d been the one to kill Tony’s parents in 1991 made his throat hurt and his eyes sting. Lexi scooted a tiny bit closer, and still holding his hand, she leaned her head on his shoulder.

 

“Tony told me about that,” she said, “after he came back.”

 

“He did?”

 

She nodded, not lifting her head from its spot on his shoulder. “We talked about a lot of things. He knows what Hydra did to you—I mean, he may not know all the details, but he knows that you weren’t really you when Hydra forced you to do those things.”

 

“I’m not sure it matters,” Bucky said, unconsciously nuzzling against her hair with his cheek.

 

“It does,” Lexi said. They were quiet for a few minutes, both of them lost in their own thoughts, when she finally said, “I get it now. Why you went into cryo rather than try to wait for me.”

 

“You do?” he asked hopefully. She nodded in response, he said, “So you’re sure you don’t want to kill T’Challa?”

 

She huffed a small laugh and smiled. “I’m sure. Still not happy with him for hurting you, but if I ever run across the guy, I think I’ll be able to control myself.”

 

“Do you forgive me?”

 

She thought about it for a few moments. “Yes,” she said quietly. “It still…aches, and I think it will for a while, but I understand. It wasn’t a choice you made lightly, and you didn’t do it to hurt me.”

 

“Last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, baby girl,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “If I could go back and do it all over again, I would have done things differently. I would have waited for you.” He rested his temple against the top of her head, breathing slowly and evenly.

 

A little while later, out of the blue, she murmured, “It was important to keep them safe.”

 

Bucky picked his head up and looked at her. “Keep who safe, sweetheart?”

 

“Steve. Sam and Nat, too,” she replied, her voice never really modulating very much. “She said it was important. That’s why I tracked their phones, followed them.”

 

“Who told you this?” he asked, confused.

 

“My mother. She said that they needed to survive.”

 

“Oh,” Bucky said, surprised. “Did she say why?”

 

“Something is coming.”

 

“Something?” Bucky asked, his brow furrowed. “What kind of something?”

 

“Thanos.”

 

***

 

Lexi didn’t elaborate on her rather alarming comment, only saying, “I don’t know,” when he asked her to explain what or who Thanos was. She left soon after, promising when Bucky asked that she would come back the next day.

 

She kept her word, arriving just a little while after Bucky returned from seeing Shuri and talking to his therapist again. He felt a little guilty at not telling the doctor that Lexi was there, but somehow he knew that the doctor, even with a confidentiality agreement in place, would have to notify someone in authority that there was an unauthorized and unseen woman wandering around a village in the Border Tribe. It was one thing for T’Challa to suspect she was there; it was another thing for him to know it for a certainty.

 

Almost as soon as she sat down, not touching but within arm’s reach, she told Bucky everything that had happened after he had left HQ for the mission that had ultimately separated them for nearly a year and a half. Some pieces of her story he had heard from Steve, though at the time it was conjecture; hearing the truth of it from Lexi, though, just about tore his heart out. Her cool, detached way of speaking about it almost made it sound worse—like it had happened to someone else, like she had just been along for the ride.

 

She recounted her story in remarkable detail; leaving HQ, the destruction of the hotel in Greece, her apartment in Paris, her trips to different cities, following Steve, Nat, and Sam, even giving Bucky a concise rundown of the dozens of men she had rendered ineffective during her travels. The utterly blank expression on her face as she spoke nearly gave Bucky chills. The only way he could tell that she was feeling anything was the fact that she was curled up in a ball, her arms wrapped so tightly around her drawn-up knees that he could see her muscles twitching.

 

“So you see,” she whispered when she had completed her story, “I’m not the same person I was before. Not anymore.”

 

“You’re still a good person, Lexi.”

 

“Would a good person intentionally hurt dozens of people and feel nothing?” she asked. When Bucky hesitated in his answer, she smiled cynically. “See? You don’t think so, either.”

 

“Don’t do that,” he said, frowning. “Don’t put words in my mouth. I don’t believe you’re a bad person just because you did what you had to, to keep yourself and our friends safe.”

 

She dropped her eyes to the ground, rocking a bit. “Did I have to, though?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Did I have to do any of it? My mother told me they needed to survive, but never explained anything. What if—“ Long strands of her hair fell forward, blocking his view of her eyes. Slowly and carefully, Bucky reached out to her, brushing her hair back and tucking it behind her ear, and he saw a tear run down her cheek and fall.

 

“Baby doll,” he whispered, gently putting his hand on her arm. “C’mere.”

 

She jumped up then, startled, as if he’d screamed at her. “No. No, I can’t.” She turned and quickly began walking away.

 

“Lexi, wait!” he called out, getting to his feet.

 

Before he could even get to his feet, she had vanished.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, at least they're talking...right? I promise, things will get better!! They might get worse before they get better, though. Maybe. :|
> 
> I'm feeling very anxious about posting chapters while I'm still getting the whole story together. I promise that if I have to go back and change anything, I'll let you know!
> 
> I think Google Translate is off the hook for this chapter. ;)
> 
> Thank you all for the comments and kudos! I'm trying my best to stay at least a few chapters ahead, and the encouragement I've received is great motivation! You're the best! :D
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	8. Lexi Finally (Kinda, Sorta) Comes Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The breaking point is reached.

 

She didn’t stay away long, only a couple of days, before she decided to return. She hadn’t wanted to discuss the past year any more, and Bucky respected that. That didn’t mean he was silent, though. He spent a lot of their time together talking about the things he had learned from her, how she had helped him and made him want to be a better person. He reminded her of the veterans who were living higher quality lives because she and Tony and Bruce had designed incredible prosthetics for them to use.

 

“You’re still that person, Lexi,” he told her. Though she didn’t outwardly disagree with him, he could tell she didn’t really believe him, either.

 

He awoke one morning about a week later to find her sitting quietly in his hut, watching him sleep. He could see the shadows under her eyes, evidence she couldn’t hide that she hadn’t been sleeping well. He smiled softly at her, and for a minute or so he just lay there, the two of them looking at each other, before she pushed herself to her feet. She offered Bucky her hand, and he took it, standing to face her. Even though Bucky knew Shuri would be coming by soon, he didn’t hesitate to follow Lexi to their spot by the lake. They sat, side-by-side under the tree in the bright morning light, watching the birds swoop and sail over the still water of the lake.

 

“Why are we doing this?” Lexi asked suddenly, looking sadder than she had in a while.

 

“Doing what, sweetheart?” Bucky said, carefully reaching over to tuck her hair behind her ear and letting the backs of his fingers trail down along her jawline.

 

“Wasting so much time on me,” she replied, her voice breaking. “I’m not worth it. Not anymore.”

 

“How can you say that?” Bucky asked her incredulously. He turned slightly to face her, crossing his legs. “I love you. You’re everything to me, don’t you know that?”

 

“I’ve done some really awful things, Bucky,” Lexi said, tears starting to roll freely down her cheeks for the first time. Bucky opened his mouth to refute her words, but she cut him off. “What happened to you was different. You were tortured and brainwashed; you were forced to do those things. What I did? It was me, all me. I _chose_ to do all those things. There’s something in me that is dark and evil and—and just _wrong,_ and—“

 

“All you did was watch out for yourself, and for Steve, and Nat, and Sam,” Bucky said, softly brushing her tears away. “Saved their lives more than once, from what Steve told me. You took care of yourself, and you never hurt anyone that wasn’t trying to hurt you or our friends first. Pretty sure that’s called self-defense, baby girl, not evil.”

 

“But I didn’t feel bad about it,” Lexi admitted. “I hurt people, and I didn’t—I still don’t—feel bad about it.”

 

“I think you do,” Bucky disagreed quietly. “Telling me you’re not a good person? That you’re not worth my time? That sounds like you’re feeling pretty bad about it inside, _kotenok._ ”

 

“I don’t know how to come back from that,” she mumbled, her breath hitching slightly at the pet name, “or even if I can. That part of me is still there—sometimes I try to ignore it, and it feels like it’s going to tear me apart. You’ve got enough to handle right now. You don’t need to be dealing with my problems on top of everything else.”

 

“ _I love you,_ ” Bucky replied emphatically. “After everything you’ve done for me, there is _nothing_ I won’t do for you.”

 

“You don’t owe me anything, Bucky,” Lexi shook her head tiredly, her eyes sliding shut.

 

“Okay, enough,” Bucky said, reaching over, wrapping his arm around her waist, and then physically hauling her into the circle of his lap. He held her tightly against him as she struggled against him. “I owe you my life, baby girl. I owe you _everything._ There wouldn’t even be a shell of a human being here where I’m sittin’ if it wasn’t for you.”

 

Lexi tried to push away; she was strong, but even with only one arm, Bucky was far stronger and he held her close, tucking her head against his shoulder.

 

“I don’t ever want to let you go again, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I want us to be together. Do you want that? To be with me?”

 

He heard her breath catch, felt the stuttering inhalation that rocked her ribcage as she held herself stiffly, and he squeezed her a little tighter. She clenched her teeth, so hard that her jaw started to ache, holding her breath and trying desperately not to fall apart.

 

“ _I love you,_ baby girl _,_ ” he repeated, whispering urgently. “That ain’t ever gonna change. Do you still love me?”

 

Even with her head tucked against him, holding her close, he could still feel the tiny nod of affirmation. _Yes._

 

“Then we can work through everything else,” he murmured, kissing her forehead, speaking softly and soothingly. “I’m never leaving you again, _moye sokrovishche_.”

 

Her rigid muscles suddenly unlocked and a high-pitched whimper preceded the sob that clawed itself free of her throat, sounding tight, jagged, and painful. Bucky slowly released the breath he’d been holding and he began to rock, moving his arm only slightly to cradle Lexi against his chest. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here. I’ve got you. Go ahead and let it out.”

 

And finally, after working so hard to hold herself together for the better part of a year and a half, the dam broke.

 

Everything poured out of her; the anger, the sadness, the fear; it all came out as Lexi pounded her fists against his chest. She screamed and cried, endlessly, it felt to her, finally releasing the stranglehold she’d had on her emotions and giving voice to the thoughts that had crowded her mind for so long.

 

Her arms eventually worked their way around his waist, and she clung to him, her fingers digging into the muscles of his back. Bucky hummed, nuzzling into her hair and kissing the top of her head softly, letting her get her tears out.

 

It was overwhelming and healing and it was long overdue. Slowly, her joints and muscles lost their tension, her anger depleted, and she relaxed against him, his warmth calming and soothing her to the marrow of her bones.

 

Finally, many minutes later, Lexi fell silent and still, but for an occasionally hitched breath. Bucky continued to rock her gently, even though he was positive that she had cried herself to sleep. He stayed there, watching as the shadows around them grew shorter and the sun moved overhead, just enjoying the feel of her in his arms, curled up against his body, soft and relaxed.

 

A noise drew his attention; Shuri was walking toward them with a concerned look on her face, communicating with someone using her kimoyo beads. When she laid eyes on Bucky, holding a seemingly unconscious woman, she gasped, immediately disconnecting the link.

 

Bucky hardly moved, just enough to hold his hand up, palm out. “It’s okay,” he whispered as she came closer.

 

“Is she alright?” Shuri asked worriedly, looking at the woman cradled tenderly in her big friend’s lap.

 

“She’s asleep,” Bucky said quietly. “Had a really good cry, tuckered herself out.”

 

She smiled at him in understanding. “So this is your wife,” she said. “She looks so tiny now.”

 

Bucky grinned, and Shuri’s heart absolutely sang for him; she had never seen him look so happy, so young.

 

“Yeah, this is my Lexi,” he murmured, cuddling her close. “Tiny, but fierce.”

 

“Is she going to stay now, do you think? We’ll need to find you a bigger home,” Shuri said as Bucky slowly rocked back and forth.

 

“I still need to convince her to, but we’ll be fine here if she does,” Bucky said. “Don’t go to any trouble for us.”

 

Shuri frowned then, looking at her bracelet as one of the beads flashed slowly. “My brother will disagree, I’m sure,” she said. “He will insist on meeting her.”

 

“Well, now that she doesn’t want to kill him, I don’t think it will be a problem,” Bucky smiled a bit sheepishly.

 

“We can postpone our session until tomorrow, if that is alright with you,” Shuri said. When Bucky nodded, she continued. “I will not mention this to my brother until the morning, but I must tell him.”

 

“I understand,” Bucky agreed. “I appreciate that. I think Lexi and I just need today to talk.”

 

“You definitely do, and without T’Challa breathing down your necks,” she grinned, before turning to go back to her hovercraft. “I’ll tell him you needed a ‘mental health day,’ shall I?”

 

Bucky huffed a laugh. “Thank you,” he said kindly.

 

“Stay, be with your wife,” she laughed softly, before putting the back of her hand to her forehead and sighing dramatically. “Hearts are breaking all over Wakanda today.”

 

He shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Get outta here, smart ass,” he chuckled.

 

“Better a smart ass than a dumb one!” she said, waving as she walked away.

 

***

 

It was still several minutes before Lexi began to stir, nuzzling sleepily into him.

 

“How’re ya doin’, honey?” Bucky asked softly, his voice low and husky.

 

Lexi was unable to stop from snuggling into him, feeling the familiar and welcome vibrations of his voice rumbling through his chest. His arm tightened slightly, hugging her close for a few seconds. He gave her space to pull away as she sat up, pushing her hair out of her face.

 

“Sorry about losing it like that,” Lexi whispered, looking away from him as she wiped her eyes.

 

“You don’t ever need to be sorry for telling me how you feel, baby girl. I’m glad you got that off your chest.” He leaned forward to kiss her forehead and then he said, “Are you hungry?”

 

“Um, yeah, a little,” Lexi admitted, looking surprised that she had any appetite at all.

 

They got to their feet and quietly walked the short distance back to Bucky’s hut. He walked over to the small refrigerator that sat across the room. “I have some leftover rice and vegetables in here,” he said, opening the small door and taking out a bowl and setting it on the table. “One of the ladies in the village makes it by the truckload,” he smiled. “She insists on feeding me.” He took out a bottle of water and tossed it to Lexi, who caught it easily.

 

“Should I be concerned?” Lexi asked, an eyebrow arching slightly as she took a seat on his bed mat, which was far softer than it looked. “Is she trying to seduce you with her cooking?”

 

“I think she sees me as one of her eighteen or nineteen grandkids, so no,” he grinned, taking a fork out of a cup and sticking it in the bowl. He picked the bowl up and walked back over to Lexi, handing her the bowl and then sitting down facing her, cross-legged. “She calls this ‘jeweled vegetable pilau,’” he said. “It’s got cabbage, carrots, rice, a lot of spices, and some cashews and pomegranate seeds. It’s really good cold, too.”

 

He reached for the fork, scooped a small amount of rice and vegetables onto it, and then held it out. Lexi leaned forward and accepted the bite, humming as she chewed. “Mmm,” she nodded. “That is good.”

 

They went back and forth, trading bites, until the bowl was empty. Bucky was smiling the whole time, happy to be sharing a small meal with Lexi and seeing her more relaxed than she had been in far too long. When they were done, he set the dishes aside and said, “I’ll wash the bowl and take it back to her later.”

 

“Okay,” Lexi said, leaning back and taking a sip of water. “Thank you for that.”

 

“Of course, sweetheart,” he said, getting to his feet again. He took the bowl over to a small basin and set it down. “Feel like taking a little walk? Maybe we can talk some more?”

 

“Alright,” she replied, holding her hand out. Bucky came over and tugged her gently to her feet, and then he pulled back the curtain that covered the doorway and they walked outside.

 

They strolled around the lake, meandering through the trees that surrounded most of it, as the sun traveled overhead toward the west and the afternoon progressed. Lexi kept her hands in her pockets at first, too uncertain still to want very much physical contact; eventually Bucky coaxed her left hand out, loosely entwining their fingers.

 

“It really is beautiful here,” Lexi said, looking around. “Very peaceful.”

 

“It is,” Bucky agreed. “When I first woke up, they decided that it would be better for me to be out here, where it was calm and quiet, rather than be in the middle of the city while my brain finished re-booting. They were right; it was too hectic, too bright, just…too much everything at the time.”

 

“But it doesn’t bother you now?” Lexi asked, looking at him curiously.

 

“No, it doesn’t bother me to be in the city now,” he smiled, “but I still prefer it out here. It’s just…easier out here; simpler, I guess.” He arched an eyebrow and smirked as he looked off into the distance. “Quieter, too, normally.”

 

Then Lexi heard it; a group of children was approaching, laughing and yelling as they ran toward the lake. She pulled away and ducked behind a tree just as they came into view.

 

“Lex?” Bucky turned toward her. “What’s the matter?” When she gave him a slightly panicked look, he said, “It’s fine, sweetheart, I promise.”

 

When the children, about ten or twelve of them, caught sight of Bucky, seemingly talking to a tree, they stopped in their tracks.

 

One of the older ones, a boy who appeared to be maybe thirteen or fourteen, called out, “ _Ingcuka!_ ” and the others echoed him happily. “ _Ingcuka! Ingcuka!_ ”

 

Bucky smiled and laughed quietly, shaking his head. “C’mon, baby doll, time for you to meet some of the locals.” He reached out for her, beckoning her forward.

 

She knew if she did this, there would be no way to keep it from T’Challa anymore. Closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and then exhaling a little shakily, Lexi took his hand and came out of hiding.

 

The children were all surprised to see a stranger there; they watched Lexi, rather suspiciously, as she stood next to Bucky, dressed more appropriately for combat than a walk through the woods. The older boy said, “ _Ngubani le ntombi?_ ” (“Who is this lady?”)

 

When Bucky frowned, not sure what he was asking, Lexi smiled nervously and said, “ _Ndingumhlobo wakhe._ ” (“I am his friend.”)

 

The children gasped collectively, probably at the fact that the only white woman they had ever seen in their lives knew and could speak their language; some of them actually started clapping and jumping around excitedly.

 

“What did you tell them?” Bucky asked with a confused smile.

 

“I just said we were, you know, friends,” Lexi said, shrugging. When he continued to look at her questioningly, she added, “I wasn’t sure what you wanted them to know.” She frowned then, looking uncertain.

 

Bucky laughed out loud then and put his arm around Lexi’s shoulders, tugging her close. “Oh, doll face,” he chuckled, kissing her forehead. “I am not hiding how much I love you from anyone. Not ever again.”

 

At the loud, teasing chorus of, _“Ooh!”_ from the group of kids, Lexi dropped her head forward, bumping his sternum.

 

“Yeah, well, cat’s out of the bag now,” Lexi replied, muttering into his chest as her hands settled lightly on his waist.

 

Suddenly one of the smaller children, one that Bucky recognized as having seen the white, shimmering form, pointed at Lexi and said, “ _Umoya!_ ”

 

Lexi looked over at him quickly, seeing his wide-eyed expression. The other children suddenly looked at her with new, uncertain eyes.

 

“ _Wena ungumoya!_ _Ubukele ingcuka!_ “ (“You are the ghost! You were watching the wolf!”) he continued. When Lexi nodded, biting her bottom lip self-consciously, he tilted his head and looked at her, bewildered. “ _Awuyena mnye umoya?_ ” (“Are you not a ghost anymore?”)

 

Lexi shook her head sheepishly. “ _Hayi, ayisayi kuphinda._ ” (“No, not anymore.”)

 

The boy came over slowly, swatting away one of the other children that tried to pull him back. He stood and looked up at Lexi curiously, tilting his head back and forth, as if trying to determine whether she was lying or not. Lexi held her right hand out carefully, palm up. The boy looked up at Bucky, who was holding Lexi’s other hand again; Bucky nodded at him, smiling, so he reached out and poked her hand. Lexi yelped playfully. Finding her to be solid, he grinned.

 

“ _Akayena mnye umoya!_ ” (“She’s not a ghost anymore!”) he cried out happily to the others.

 

Lexi laughed. “ _Ndiyinyani. Ndiyathembisa._ ” (“I’m real. I promise.”)

 

Smiling widely and wrapping his hand around hers, he started dragging her over to the rest of the group, Bucky getting towed along with her. Suddenly they were full of questions: “How did you do that? How did you become a ghost? What is your name? How do you know the wolf? Why are you dressed like a soldier?”

 

Not wanting to explain the whole thing to them, Lexi simply said, “ _Igama lam nguLexi_ _,_ ” (“My name is Lexi,”), “ _Ndiyazi inkohliso yemilingo,_ ” (“I know a magic trick,”) and “ _Kwafuneka ndilwele ukuze ndifike apha._ ” (“I had to fight to get here.”) There was no need to confuse them or go into detail. They seemed to understand and accept her answers, regardless.

 

When Lexi translated their questions for Bucky, he grinned and asked Lexi how to say the words that he wanted to. He told her what he wanted to say, and she smiled, saying them slowly for him so he could repeat them for the children. He stumbled charmingly over the words, “ _Intliziyo yam ibetha._ ” (“My heart beats for her.”)

 

When the children _awww_ ’d collectively at his answer, Lexi nudged his shoulder with her own, smiling shyly. “You’re such a softie,” she muttered, chuckling and shaking her head.

 

“For you?” he replied, bringing her hand up to his lips for a kiss. “Always.” Grinning widely, he turned to the children and said, “Go on, enjoy your swim!” He shooed them away playfully, and they laughed and waved goodbye as they resumed their trek to the lake. 

 

***

 

Much later, as the sun finally set after another shared meal and hours of walking and talking, Lexi finally agreed to stay with him in the village; claiming exhaustion, they went back to his hut to rest. He returned the bowl to the little old lady, who smiled and nodded, speaking rapidly to him and waving at him. Probably telling him that she would bring more food tomorrow, Bucky thought with a smile.

 

Still smiling and shaking his head, he waved back, and then returned to his hut. He pulled the cloth curtain closed behind him, which the village children usually understood meant that he wasn’t there or shouldn’t be disturbed.

 

Once inside the dimly lit room, he stood for a few long seconds, just looking at Lexi, who was curled up in a ball and dozing on his bed mat. She was just as beautiful as she had always been, maybe even more so, the lines around her eyes caused by fatigue and anxiety finally softening in sleep.

 

He lay down carefully behind her on the small mat, keeping himself between her and the doorway, and wrapped his arm around her, cupping his right hand around her left shoulder and drawing her small frame gently back into his chest. He sighed then, pressing his face into the nape of her neck, almost feeling on the edge of tears himself. It had been so long since he’d held her like this, warm and soft in his arms; so long since he’d inhaled her scent, sunshine and cookies, still so calming and soothing to him. For her, it had been even longer—longer and so much harder than it had been for him. He’d been asleep while she’d been wandering, hurt, alone, lost, and his heart twisted to think of all the things that could have happened to her.

 

“You’re squishing me,” she said softly, and Bucky inhaled sharply; he’d been squeezing her, closer and closer, as his mind had imagined all the terrible things that might have befallen her while he slumbered, unaware.

 

Once his hold loosened slightly, she turned over and looked at him, seeing the self-recrimination in his eyes.

 

“Whatever you’re thinking about,” she murmured, tracing her index finger lightly between his furrowed eyebrows, “none of it happened. I know how to fight, and you taught me how to shoot. I took care of myself.”

 

“I’m so sorry you had to, baby girl,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry all of this happened.”

 

“I know,” she said, nodding slightly. “I’m not angry anymore.”

 

He smiled then, a tiny huffed laugh escaping. “Maybe you should be. I deserve it.” He closed his eyes then, exhaling a little shakily. “I’m just so happy you’re here.”

 

“Me, too,” Lexi said.

 

With Bucky’s eyes closed, Lexi continued to trace over his features, relearning the lines of the face she loved above all others. When she tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear and combed her fingers through the soft strands that hung free from the messy knot on the back of his head, she smiled and whispered, “I love you.”

 

At finally hearing the words he’d been longing for her to say, Bucky nodded, a tear escaping and sliding down his cheek. “I love you so much, sweetheart, so much.”

 

She cupped his cheek, rubbing her thumb tenderly over his cheekbone, brushing the tear away. “Won’t leave me again?” she asked.

 

“Never, never again,” he said, shaking his head emphatically. He pulled her closer still, just needing to feel her. “Lexi,” he breathed, resting their foreheads together.

 

“Yeah?” she whispered.

 

Bucky swallowed nervously. “Can I kiss you?” he asked softly, as if fully expecting her to refuse.

 

Sure enough, Lexi stiffened slightly. “Just a kiss?” she asked hesitantly. “Because I don’t think I’m ready for more than—“

 

“Just a kiss, I promise,” he assured her quickly. “We have a lot more talking we need to do, I get that.”

 

After a few seconds, Lexi nodded. “Then, yes. I’d like for you to kiss me.”

 

Bucky smiled; a soft, little smile that still somehow still reached his eyes and made them glow. Gently cupping the back of Lexi’s head as she tilted her chin up, he leaned down to her.

 

***

 

Lexi was only slightly surprised at the small, gentle kiss that Bucky placed on her forehead; by the third little peck that fell high on her cheek, she was smiling. This was familiar, this was intimate, and it was exactly the way she remembered it. Before their forced separation, he had loved showering her with affection at every opportunity; kissing her cheek as he passed her in the kitchen or the hallway or on his way to the elevator, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug if they had more than just a few seconds, always tucking her into his side when they sat together, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger.

 

By the time he reached her lips with a soft, nearly chaste kiss, she thought she knew what to expect.

 

When Bucky had pulled her into his lap out by the lake, Lexi had panicked. It had been so long since anyone had touched her with kindness that she had instinctively fought against his hold. But when he tucked her into his shoulder, and her senses were invaded by his presence—the feel of him under her hands, his scruffy whiskers against the skin of her cheek, his voice in her ears, his warm, amazing scent in her nose—and it was still the same, still _Bucky_ , even after everything that had happened, she had cracked, broken wide open, and allowed herself to fall apart.

 

The months of wondering, grieving, and mourning what she thought was lost all caught up to her when she finally felt safe enough to let go, and it came out in a deluge of emotion. It was cathartic and exhausting, and for the first time in almost a year and a half, she fell asleep, held by the man she loved.

 

Now, hours of walking and talking later, physically, mentally, and emotionally drained, she was dozing again. She couldn’t possibly have been sleeping very long, but when she woke up, it was due to the strong, muscled arm slowly but surely tightening around her ribcage and constricting her breathing. Were it not for the fact that they had woken up together like this so many times in the past, she surely would have panicked again; but she could feel him nuzzling her neck, could feel the tiny unconscious stroking of his fingertips on her bare shoulder, and his scent surrounding her, all of it exactly as it had been before.

 

“You’re squishing me,” she said softly, feeling his quick intake of breath against the back of her neck. She rolled over and looked at his eyes, immediately seeing the self-flagellation going on behind the stormy blue-grey irises.

 

She wanted to reassure him that she was whole, that she hadn’t been permanently damaged by her time on her own, but she knew that wasn’t entirely true; she had been changed irrevocably, her heart had been broken—worse than broken, really—and there was still so much healing that needed to be done. So much that she didn’t even know where to begin.

 

But when he held her so close, needing to believe that she was really there, so close that she could feel the tiny tremors wracking his body, and he asked so hesitantly, _“Can I kiss you?”_ she thought that maybe, just maybe, this was how she could begin finding her way back and start repairing the gaping fissures in her soul.

 

Baby steps.

 

So no, she was in no way expecting the strong jolt of energy that slammed into the both of them from such a soft, tiny kiss.

 

She gasped; her head flung back, Bucky’s arm around her the only thing that prevented her from rolling off the bed mat and onto the floor. She grabbed his shoulder, her heart hammering in her chest, and she brought her eyes down to meet his. His eyes mirrored hers, she was sure—wide open and staring with surprise.

 

“Holy crap,” Bucky said, his voice low and scratchy. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Lexi nodded, trying to bring her breathing back under control. “Are you?”

 

He nodded, his hand starting to rub carefully over her back. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Wasn’t expecting that.”

 

“Me, neither,” she replied.

 

They lay there, together, as he held her carefully and their heart rates dropped back down, just breathing each other in. Finally, Bucky asked, “How do you feel?”

 

Lexi thought about it, cautiously examining herself for the first time in ages. “Okay. Pretty good, actually,” she said, sounding a little surprised. The weight that had sat so heavily on her heart for so long now seemed to have lightened a bit; it wasn’t gone, not by a long shot, but the ache that had accompanied every single breath she had taken since Bucky disappeared so many months before felt a little less than it had. “How about you?”

 

“I feel good, too,” he replied, a little smile playing at his lips. “I guess that shouldn’t surprise me, though. Just being near you has always made me feel better.”

 

“Bucky,” Lexi began, but he stopped her.

 

“I know, sweetheart, it’s okay. We have a long way to go,” he said. “And you need to rest, so let’s get some shut-eye.” He lay down on his back and, after seeing Lexi’s hesitation, he beckoned her closer. “C’mere, baby girl. Get some sleep.”

 

It still took a while, but after curling into his side and feeling his fingers comb through her hair, she finally drifted off.

 

***

 

A little over two thousand miles away, Nat was hanging up her phone after talking to Wanda. “She’s doing great,” she said. “She and Vision are staying out of trouble, and they’re both very relieved that Lexi is safe.”

 

“Where are they?” Steve asked, a little smile on his face.

 

“Still in Northern Europe, as we agreed,” Nat said, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

 

“You gonna call Tony?” Sam asked, watching Steve closely, knowing he was on the fence about it.

 

“I should,” Steve said, looking at the little flip-phone in his hand. He sighed and stood up. “Yeah, I’m calling him.” He opened the phone and pressed the only number in the contact list. He started to pace as it rang.

 

On the third ring, Tony picked up. “Hello?”

 

“Hey, Tony,” Steve said, “it’s, uh, it’s me.”

 

“Well, hi there, Cap. Or, wait—it’s not exactly Cap anymore, is it? What should I call you? Rogers? Steve? Steven? Do you have a preference?”

 

“No, Tony, really, I’m just calling—“

 

“Did Romanoff give you a snazzy new nickname while you’re flying around in my quinjet?”

 

“Tony,” Steve sighed. “I’m calling about Lexi.”

 

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before Tony spoke again, completely serious now. “Is she okay? Do you know where she is?”

 

“Yes,” he exhaled. “She’s safe.”

 

“Have you seen her? Talked to her?”

 

“I haven’t, no,” Steve admitted, “but someone I trust has seen her and spoken to her. She’s alright.”

 

“Someone you trust?” Tony echoed, and Steve could hear the skepticism in his voice. “Would that be Barnes?”

 

“I can’t tell you that,” Steve said. “I promised that I would let you know if I found out anything about Lexi. I’m doing that.”

 

“So where is she?” Tony asked brusquely.

 

“I can’t tell you that, either,” Steve said, and both Sam and Nat were watching him with furrowed brows.

 

Tony laughed then, scoffing and bitter. “That’s just great, Rogers,” he said sarcastically. “She’s fine, but you won’t tell me where she is, who she’s with, or what she’s doing.”

 

“I don’t have permission from her to tell you anything,” Steve retorted.

 

“Suddenly you’re concerned about getting _permission?_ ” Tony barked. “I don’t recall you asking for permission to break your friends out of the Raft, or to take Barnes out of Berlin. In fact, asking for permission is pretty much the last thing you _ever_ do.”

 

Steve sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tony, I didn’t call to start an argument. You care about Lexi, so I wanted you to know she’s safe.”

 

“Is she?” Tony asked angrily. He was quiet for several long, tense moments; Steve could hear him breathing deeply and evenly. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter. “Could you get her a message from me?”

 

“I can try,” Steve said, staring at his feet and thinking of the phone Shuri had given Bucky.

 

“If you could—“ Tony took another deep breath and started over. “I read Barnes’s file,” he said flatly, and Steve’s head shot up. “I don’t blame him for what happened, not anymore.”

 

Steve waited silently, looking at Nat, who met his gaze unflinchingly.

 

“If… _they_ …want to return to the United States,” Tony said softly, “They are welcome here at HQ, and I…will do whatever I can to help him clear his name.”

 

“That’s very kind of you, Tony,” Steve said, still watching Nat. “I’ll make sure to pass that on.”

 

“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Okay, then. Thanks for the update.”

 

“You’re welcome—“ Steve said, before there was a click in his ear. He looked at the phone; “Call Ended” was on the screen. He flipped the phone shut with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I never seem to get it right with him, do I?” After a few seconds he looked at Nat again. “You gave him a copy of Bucky’s file?”

 

“I did,” she replied unapologetically. “He needed to know.” When Steve raised an eyebrow in response, she said, “He _deserved_ to know.”

 

“I suppose you’re right,” Steve nodded. He huffed a tired laugh through his nose. “He offered to help Buck clear his name if he and Lexi want to go home.”

 

“Yeah?” Sam responded, looking surprised. “That’s a pretty big gesture on his part.”

 

“He says he doesn’t blame Bucky for what happened anymore,” Steve told them. He frowned slightly. “Not sure why he’d go to the trouble of helping him, though.”

 

“Tony’s reasons are his own,” Nat said, going back to her files. “Not the least of which, I’m sure, would include bringing Lexi back to HQ.” When Sam and Steve looked at her questioningly, she said, “Bruce…Bruce is gone,” she shrugged. “I think Tony misses having someone to share the lab with, to bounce ideas off of. Someone to keep him on the right path.”

 

“I’m not sure Lexi’s in the right headspace to be anyone’s moral compass right now,” Sam said, frowning.

 

“She needs time,” Steve agreed, just the slightest curve to his lips. “Regardless, I think Buck and Lex are a package deal; if she wants to go back to HQ, he’ll follow her.”

 

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Sam asked.

 

Steve shook his head and shrugged a little. “It’s not for me to say,” he told them. “I’ll pass on the message next time I talk to Buck; what they choose to do after that is up to them.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, yay! Good news for (almost) everyone! Next up: T'Challa. ::evil cackling::
> 
> Thanks to you all for staying with me! Doing my best to stay ahead and get chapters written!
> 
> And we're back! Any errors in translation are the property of Google Translate! XD
> 
> <3


	9. Lexi Meets T'Challa and Doesn't Try to Kill Him

 

 

“Mister Barnes!”

 

Bucky’s eyes popped open with a jolt and he sat up abruptly, looking around. There was no one else in the hut. He was alone.

 

Lexi was gone.

 

He jumped up, adjusting his clothing quickly before rushing out the doorway, searching every which direction. There stood Shuri, T’Challa, two of the King’s Guard, and a half dozen of the Dora Milaje. Bucky looked at Shuri, clearly distressed.

 

“She’s not here, she’s gone,” he said, on the verge of panicking.

 

“Oh, no,” she said sadly.

 

T’Challa, who had been the one to call out Bucky’s name, looked at his sister with a disappointed frown. “If you had told us yesterday that she was here—“

 

Laughter from the direction of the trees drew their attention. Lexi was walking toward them, hand-in-hand with the little boy from the day before. She was grinning at him as he talked a mile a minute, and they were each holding an armful of red, blooming, flowering plants. Her long hair was pulled back into a single long braid, which was hanging over her shoulder, and she was carrying a large pack on her back. Bucky sighed in relief, his hand resting over his heart. She looked up as she and the boy cleared the trees.

 

“Oh,” she said softly, her smile fading when she saw the group waiting for her. By the expression on her face, she had been expecting them, but perhaps not so soon.

 

The little boy, completely oblivious to the tension in the air, pulled her along as he greeted everyone, excited to show them the flowers he was holding. He was chattering away, “ _Khangela iintyatyambo Lexi ezenziwe! Akunjalo?_ _Ugogo uya kuba novuyo!_ ” (“Look at the flowers Lexi made! Aren’t they pretty? My grandmother will be so happy!”)

 

Lexi knelt down next to him. “Tadeo,” she said, getting his attention. At the sound of his name, he turned back to Lexi. “ _Ngaba unako ukuthatha oku bobabini kunogogo?_ ” (“Can you take both of these to your grandmother?”) When he nodded happily, she placed the second plant carefully in his arms and said softly, “ _Fumana indawo enhle, ilanga lelanga, kulungile?_ ” (“Find a nice, sunny spot for these, okay?”)

 

“ _Kulungile, Lexi! Ndiyabonga ngokukwenza iintyatyambo zikhule!_ ” (“Okay, Lexi! Thank you for making the flowers grow!”) he said, kissing her on the cheek and then skipping off to his grandmother’s home.

 

Bucky walked over to Lexi as she rose to her feet, both of them missing the shared glance and quirked eyebrows between T’Challa and his general.

 

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Bucky asked her quietly, coming to stand by her side as she brushed off her hands.

 

“I’m fine,” she smiled uneasily at him, letting her backpack drop carefully to the ground. “Tadeo’s grandmother is the one that keeps feeding you. She sent him out to find some red hibiscus plants this morning. I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to go with him and pick up some of my things.”

 

“I wish you’d woken me up,” he said, his brow slightly furrowed. “I was worried. I thought you’d left.”

 

“You were sleeping,” Lexi shrugged, looking away. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

 

“Lex—“

 

“Doctor Shaeffer,” T’Challa said with a brisk tone, interrupting them. Shuri smacked him on the arm, frowning at his tone.

 

Lexi stiffened, only the tiniest twitching of her fingers and a sudden blankness in her eyes giving away her agitation. She turned slowly to face him, her chin dropping slightly toward her chest, keeping both eyes on the King. “Your Highness,” she said lowly.

 

Apparently there was something in her demeanor, or a look in her eyes that the general did not like; she took a step forward, taking her wicked-looking, blue-tinged metal spear in both hands.

 

Lexi immediately squared up and moved into a defensive position, stepping in front of Bucky and clenching her fists.

 

Every member of the Dora Milaje responded, all of them dropping down into an attack stance and pointing their spears at Lexi.

 

“Whoa, there, Lexi, no, no, no,” Bucky said quickly, turning her to face him, watching as her eyes began to darken. He took both of her hands in his and held them to his chest; gently working them open one at a time and laying them flat against him, over his heart. “Calm down, baby girl, everything’s fine, no need to fight.” He kept talking to her, quietly and soothingly, as her jaw unclenched and she took several deep breaths, her eyes eventually returning to their original color.

 

Finally she shuddered, full-body, wracked from head-to-toe, and her shoulders dropped. She nodded at Bucky as her head fell forward and he pulled her into his chest, murmuring, “It’s okay, _kotenok,_ you’re okay.” Over her head and toward T’Challa and his guard, he said, “She’s alright now. Everything’s fine.”

 

The guards waited for their general to give them a nod before returning to their previous positions, their spears at their sides. The King looked around at everyone before starting again.

 

“Doctor Shaeffer,” T’Challa said again, more softly this time. “I apologize—I did not mean to appear threatening. I have been looking forward to meeting you for some time. Welcome to Wakanda.” When Lexi turned and looked at him hesitantly over her shoulder, he chuckled, shaking his head. “I must admit, after hearing Captain Rogers’ stories about you, I was almost expecting someone ten feet tall.” He took a step forward.

 

Lexi tried not to tense her shoulders, rolling them slowly instead. Bucky’s arm tightened around her, holding her close.

 

“He did not tell me, however, that you spoke our language,” T’Challa continued cautiously.

 

“I’m a fast learner,” Lexi said warily. “I’m sure he just forgot to mention it.”

 

A few rather taut seconds passed, and then suddenly Shuri was elbowing the King aside. “Move it over, Your Highness. I did not get to speak to her yesterday.” She walked forward with a big grin on her face. “Hello, Doctor Shaeffer, I am Shuri. It is really very nice to finally meet you.”

 

Despite her uneasiness regarding T’Challa, Lexi couldn’t help but nod shakily at the exuberant young woman, turning to greet her. “Hello, Shuri, it’s nice to meet you, too.” She paused briefly before quietly adding, “I’m sorry about what happened…last time.”

 

“No apologies necessary, Doctor Shaeffer,” Shuri smiled. “It was a rather impressive display.”

 

“Please, just call me Lexi.”

 

“Ugh, just like him,” Shuri rolled her eyes. She scowled cartoonishly and dropped her voice deeply. “Don’t call me Sergeant Barnes, call me Bucky.”

 

Against her will, Lexi actually smiled. Next to her, Bucky sputtered a bit. “I wasn’t that grumpy,” he said, sounding a little defensive.

 

“No, you were _far_ grumpier,” Shuri teased, “but you are better now.”

 

“Should I start calling you Princess Shuri, then? Since titles are so important to you?” he asked, smirking.

 

Shuri pursed her lips and gave Bucky a very unimpressed look. “Point taken, Grumpy Cat.” He snorted in response.

 

Lexi’s eyes widened slightly. “Princess?” she asked weakly.

 

Shuri shrugged. “Yes. I am King T’Challa’s younger—and far more intelligent—sister,“ she said, grinning good-naturedly. Behind her, the King rolled his eyes with a long-suffering sigh, trying not to smile.

 

“Oh,” Lexi whispered. “When I heard Bucky call you Princess, I—I didn’t realize—I thought it was….”

 

“You thought it was an endearment,” Shuri said softly. When Lexi nodded, clearly embarrassed, Shuri laughed and said, “He is far more likely to call me a smart-ass than anything so sweet as Princess, Lexi. Now,” she continued, pointedly ignoring Bucky when he mumbled _“You got that right,”_ under his breath, “King T’Challa and I would very much like to invite you both to Birnin Zana for the day.”

 

Lexi glanced at T’Challa with a guarded expression. “Is this a friendly invitation, or something a little more…mandatory?”

 

“It is completely friendly,” Shuri said reassuringly. “I would love to show you around the city, and, of course, Bucky can accompany us if he wishes—“

 

“I’m not leaving her alone for a second,” Bucky said firmly, but with a smile, taking her hand.

 

“I thought not,” the Princess grinned. She turned and nodded toward her vehicle. “If you haven’t had breakfast yet, we can get something to eat as well.”

 

“Let me put on some different clothes,” Bucky said. Looking at Lexi, he asked, “Do you need anything?”

 

Lexi looked down at herself. “I should probably put on something clean,” she said, indicating the dirt on her pants and shirt. “Gardening can get a little messy.” She nodded to Shuri and T’Challa and then turned, picked up her pack, and went into the hut, pulling the cloth curtain shut behind her.

 

“Mister Barnes,” T’Challa said, getting Bucky’s attention before he followed Lexi.

 

“Yes, Your Highness?” Bucky asked a little stiffly.

 

“I truly did not mean to upset Doctor Shaeffer,” he said quietly, “and my guard would not have harmed her.”

 

Bucky tilted his head a bit and smirked. “I wasn’t worried about your guards hurting Lexi.”

 

T’Challa looked at him quizzically. “No?”

 

“No,” Bucky huffed a laugh as he shook his head. “I was more concerned about what Lexi could have done to them.”

 

He turned then to go into his hut, leaving the King standing there with raised eyebrows and a skeptical look on his face.

 

***

 

The ride into Birnin Zana was quiet, Lexi spending much of the time looking at the passing landscape. Bucky sat next to Lexi, placing himself between her, the three guards who were all keeping a wary eye on her, and Shuri, who cheerfully pointed out things along the way that she thought might interest Lexi. They were in one vehicle, and T’Challa and the remaining guards were in another.

 

When they first got in the hovercraft, Bucky put his arm around her shoulder, and Lexi had looked at him briefly, then turned back to the window with a little smile.

 

“Is this okay?” he asked softly, gently squeezing her shoulder so that he could be sure she understood his meaning. She had allowed him to hold her as they fell asleep the night before, but this was a new day; she seemed on edge and unsure, and he didn’t know if it was because of him or their early-morning visitors.

 

“It’s fine,” she replied, feeling a little shy.

 

As they traveled, Bucky found the end of her braid and began twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. A couple of minutes later, Lexi leaned her head on his shoulder, and Bucky rested his cheek against her hair. His eyes slid shut and he sighed, a tiny smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

 

Shuri glanced at them briefly, thinking she had never seen Bucky look so peaceful and content before; Lexi, however, seemed rather tense. Shuri rolled her eyes internally at her brother—she had _told_ him that bringing half a dozen soldiers was a bad idea. Lexi had been on her own for more than a year; even the tiniest hint of a threat would put her on the defensive. _At least she didn’t throw T’Challa into the lake,_ she thought, recalling Bucky’s stories about his recent encounters with Lexi; though she felt it would have taught him a lesson. She smirked to herself, imagining his surprise at being tossed into the cool water, before calling Lexi’s attention to the city that was coming into view before them.

 

***

 

They arrived at the Royal Palace and walked inside. Bucky was glad he’d swapped out his _kanga_ for a pair of loose-fitting drawstring linen pants, though he’d kept the sleeveless shirt with the wrap over the metal cuff on his left shoulder. Lexi’s clothing seemed to consist solely of sturdy, militaristic garb; boots, cargo pants, and snug sleeveless shirts, all in black, dark green, brown, and grey. He thought she wore it well, though he wished that she didn’t need to. She had, however, left her weapons back at the hut.

 

When they’d gone inside to get cleaned up and changed, she had held up her backpack and asked, “Is there a safe place to put this?” At Bucky’s raised eyebrows, she said, “I don’t want any of the kids to come in here and find it.”

 

“I’ll just close the curtain,” Bucky said, shrugging. “They’ll stay out.”

 

“You’re sure?” Lexi asked, concerned.

 

“We can put it under the bed mat if you’re worried,” Bucky said. “What’s in there?”

 

“About a dozen semi-automatics and a couple hundred rounds of ammunition,” she said.

 

“Oh,” he said, surprised.

 

“Well, there’s also water, turkey jerky, and dried mango slices,” Lexi mumbled, “but…yeah. Mostly guns…and a few knives.”

 

So Bucky had made sure the pack was covered and well hidden under the bed mat before they left, ensuring that the curtain was fully covering the archway.

 

Now, walking through the palace with T’Challa, Shuri, and the guards, Lexi seemed nervous and edgy again, as though she was half expecting to be arrested at any moment. Bucky took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. She looked at him sideways, giving him a questioning look.

 

“Everything’s okay, doll, I promise,” he murmured, leaning in towards her.

 

“I hope you’re right,” she said, biting her bottom lip.

 

Once they were seated around the large dining table and breakfast had been served, T’Challa wasted very little time before turning his eyes on Lexi. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Doctor Shaeffer?”

 

Pausing after her first bite, she shook her head and cleared her throat. “Certainly not, Your Highness. I may not be comfortable answering, but you can ask.”

 

He chuckled and nodded slightly, and then said, “That is fair enough. I will try not to ask anything too personal.” He gave Shuri a sideways look. “And neither will my sister,” he said, grinning at her offended expression. He turned back to Lexi with a friendly smile. “I am curious to know how you managed to get inside our borders. We never once detected an unauthorized breach.”

 

Setting her fork down, Lexi took a deep breath. “I found a spot where two boulders created a gap in the field,” she said honestly. “I dug out a shallow trench between them and crawled through.”

 

“Really?” he laughed. “That was all? No special… _talents_ on your part to get across?”

 

Lexi shrugged and smiled in response. “Really, just searching and digging, and getting a little dirty.”

 

“I see,” he nodded, smiling. “In that case, would you be willing to show us this spot so that we may correct it? I assume that you are going to remain here with Mister Barnes.”

 

“I, uh,” she hesitated, frowning. She looked at Bucky, who again reached over to take her hand.

 

“It’s okay, Lex,” he said. “Even if you don’t want to stay with me, you can still stay. There are other huts.”

 

“No, no, that’s fine,” Lexi exhaled. She nodded at T’Challa and said, “I’ll show you where I came through. And yes, I would like to stay with Bucky, if that’s alright with you.”

 

He tipped his head in her direction. “Of course, you are more than welcome. If there is anything you require to make your time here more comfortable, please let us know.”

 

“I don’t need anything,” Lexi shook her head quickly, and then adding softly, “There is an SUV on the other side of the border that I need to return to Kenya, though.”

 

T’Challa smiled at her. “If you have the keys, my people will return it, Doctor Shaeffer.”

 

“Thank you, I appreciate that,” she replied politely.

 

He nodded. “It is no problem.” Breakfast continued in a friendly enough manner; Shuri was clearly dying to ask Lexi endless questions about her abilities, but Bucky could see that Lexi was nowhere near comfortable enough to discuss it yet. Shuri and T’Challa had more than earned his trust and gratitude, but it would take Lexi a while before she would be at ease. He did wonder, though, exactly how much Steve had told the King, seeing as he had referred to Lexi’s “special talents.”

 

***

 

After they finished breakfast, Shuri took them on a walking tour of the capital city. They wandered for several hours through the open-air markets, and Shuri told Lexi all about Birnin Zana, its history, and how it was connected and interacted with the tribes and villages outside the city center. She pointed out the public transportation system and explained how it operated.

 

They stopped for lunch, Shuri taking them into a restaurant of native Wakandan cuisine, and though she didn’t eat very much of the roasted meats and vegetables, Lexi slowly forced herself to try and relax. Bucky was smiling and laughing, clearly entertained by Shuri’s stories of growing up with T’Challa. “I was constantly following him around and bothering him,” she grinned.

 

“Probably irritated him that you were too damn smart for your own good,” Bucky joked, leaning back in his chair and sipping his drink. “I remember thinking that about Becca when we were growing up.”

 

“I assure you, I was quite possibly the most annoying little sister ever.” She turned her open, smiling gaze on Lexi, who was staring at Bucky in surprise.

 

“You remember Becca?” she asked, and Shuri got to see Lexi’s first genuine smile.

 

Bucky nodded slowly. “I do,” he said softly. “Not everything, of course, but a lot more than I did. Flashes and moments, mostly.”

 

“When I ran my algorithm, I was able to disconnect the effect the trigger words had on his existing memories,” Shuri said excitedly. “An unexpected but very happy bi-product was that many of his suppressed memories were unlocked for the first time in decades.”

 

Lexi still smiled, though her eyes looked a little sad. “That’s wonderful.”

 

Bucky reached for her hand, finding her fist clenched in her lap. He carefully brought her fingers up to his lips, giving them a little kiss before returning her hand to her lap.

 

“Lexi,” Shuri said quietly, and the older woman turned to look at her, “I did want to apologize to you.” At Lexi’s questioning look, she continued. “If I had known about you, I would have done whatever was necessary to bring you here.”

 

“Shuri,” Bucky shook his head, “you don’t have anything to be sorry for. This was all my fault. I was a mess after Berlin and Siberia, and I just…I was selfish. I thought I was protecting everyone, protecting Lexi—“ he took Lexi’s hand again, “—but I can see now that I was afraid, and that I was really thinking mostly of myself.”

 

“We still have a lot to talk about,” Lexi said as she and Bucky looked at each other. “We’ll be okay, but…it’s going to take some time.” He smiled and nodded in agreement.

 

After they finished lunch, they continued through the farmer’s market. Bucky took the opportunity to stock up on several items now that Lexi was staying. “I might need to get a larger refrigerator,” he said, filling the canvas bag with fresh fruit, vegetables, and meats.

 

“Whatever you need, we can have it brought to the village,” Shuri assured them.

 

Lexi, though, was shaking her head. “You don’t need to do anything just because I’m here, really. I’m fine.”

 

“You’re too damn thin, is what you are,” Bucky said, looking at some flatbreads. “We have a kitchen, and between the two of us, we have three good arms. We can throw enough of a meal together to keep you fed.”

 

“If it’s another hand you need…” Shuri trailed off teasingly.

 

“I’ll let you know,” Bucky nodded, rolling his eyes at her.

 

He paid for his purchases by showing the vendor one of the beads that he wore on what looked like a thin, braided leather cord around his neck. “After I woke up, Shuri transferred some of my money from the U.S. into a European bank and linked it to an account here,” he explained to Lexi. “I use this bead like an ATM card to pay for things.”

 

“They are kimoyo beads,” Shuri explained, showing Lexi her bracelet of round beads.

 

“So this is how you get around without ID cards?” Lexi asked, intrigued.

 

“Yes,” Shuri said, before stopping to look at her in confusion. “Wait—how did you know that? Did you see that when you—”

 

Lexi stilled, her eyes widening slightly. Before Shuri could really get going with her questions, though, Bucky stepped in, shaking his head slightly. “We’ll talk about that later, okay?”

 

“Of course,” Shuri said, smiling apologetically at Lexi. “There is no rush.”

 

Once Bucky had picked up everything he was looking for, they got in Shuri’s hovercraft and she took them both back out to the village in the Border Tribe. After helping them unload Bucky’s purchases, she drove off, waving as she turned to head back to the city.

 

They got everything inside and put away, finding Lexi’s pack undisturbed under the bed mat where they’d left it.

 

“Do you have anything else out there? At your campsite?” Bucky asked.

 

Lexi nodded. “Yeah, a few things.”

 

Bucky picked up his canvas bag again. “Let’s go get it.”

 

They strolled around the lake and through the trees for half an hour or so, coming upon Lexi’s makeshift campsite, which was nestled between some boulders, large trees, and the border field. “So this is where you’ve been coming every night?” Bucky asked.

 

“Yup,” Lexi said, shimmying easily between the trees.

 

“Not sure I can even get in there,” Bucky joked, turning sideways and slowly squeezing through as Lexi went about breaking down her tent and rolling up her sleeping bag. Bucky bagged up the remaining water and food as Lexi tossed the camping equipment over the boulders.

 

Once everything was packed up, and Lexi did a thorough check of the site, they left. Lexi tied the tent and sleeping bag together and pulled the straps over her shoulders. “All done. Let’s go.”

 

Bucky pulled the handle of the canvas bag over his right shoulder and then reached for Lexi’s left hand, smiling at her as they made their way back to the village and the little hut they would now share.

 

They got back just as the sun started to head for the horizon. “How about a light dinner tonight?” Bucky asked, opening a small cabinet and taking out a long-handled pot. Then he went into the refrigerator and took out some shredded chicken and beans; he poured them together into the pot and set it on a compact cooktop. As it warmed, he took a small stack of flatbreads and put them on a plate. “These are called chapatis,” he said.

 

Lexi took them and set them on the small eat-in table, where she had also put two simple place settings.

 

“If you look in the fridge,” Bucky said, “there’s something that looks a lot like salsa in a bowl.”

 

Lexi found it and held it up. “This?” she asked. She grabbed a water pitcher as well.

 

“That’s the one,” Bucky grinned, stirring the meat and beans in the pot. “It’s called kachumbari. It’s got tomatoes, onions, green chilies, and coriander, it’s really good.”

 

Lexi set the dish on the table and watched Bucky as he poured the hot food into a serving bowl and brought it to the table. “Bucky,” she asked with a little smirk as she filled their water glasses, “are we having Wakandan burritos?”

 

He opened a drawer and took out several spoons, bringing them to the table. He started laughing. “I guess we are,” he said, reaching over to pull Lexi’s chair out. “Not as spicy as yours, though, that’s for damn sure.”

 

“Still smells really good,” Lexi said, placing a piece of flatbread on a plate and handing it to Bucky before taking one for herself. She added some of the chicken and bean mixture and the kachumbari before rolling it together and taking a bite. “Mmm, that is good,” she murmured, nodding.

 

Bucky did his best to roll it up and eat one handed, though he had a bit of difficulty. After a few minutes of watching this, Lexi asked him, “Shuri said something about offering you a hand—she was talking about a new prosthetic, wasn’t she?”

 

Bucky chewed and nodded, seemingly giving himself a few extra seconds to consider how he wanted to word his response. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “She’s talked about designing a new arm for me, but—“ he shrugged, “I just don’t know.”

 

“Why not?” she asked. When Bucky frowned, Lexi assured him, “I’m just curious, that’s all.”

 

Bucky sat back and exhaled, his lips pursed. After a few seconds, he shook his head and replied, “It’s too soon, I think. The arm that Hydra put on me was a weapon, plain and simple; it was designed to destroy anything it touched. I just need to know that I can live without a replacement if I have to, rather than accepting it for the wrong reasons, y’know?” When Lexi appeared to frown a little, he asked, “Do you think I should do it anyway?”

 

Lexi shook her head. “Oh, no, of course not,” she said. “It’s entirely your decision, naturally. You shouldn’t do anything until you’re ready.”

 

“But you’re thinking something,” Bucky pressed, starting to eat again.

 

Lexi sighed. “Yeah,” she admitted.

 

“Are you wondering how useful I can possibly be with only one arm?” he asked, looking down at the table, his jaw working.

 

“What?” Lexi said, surprised. “No, I’m not. Bucky. Look at me.” When he lifted his gaze to meet hers, she continued. “I’ve been watching you nearly every day since you woke up. I know exactly how capable you are, and being down an arm hasn’t changed that at all.” When the corner of Bucky’s mouth curled up slightly, she said, “You’re far more capable with one arm than most people are with two.”

 

He huffed a laugh then, clearly relieved. “I don’t know about that,” he chuckled. “Washing dishes would be easier with two hands, that’s for sure.”

 

Lexi quirked an eyebrow as if to say, _yeah, probably,_ before she said, smirking, “Well, I can help out with that, at least.” She looked at him then and said, in a more serious tone, “I’m wondering what it is they would want in exchange, actually.”

 

“In exchange? For a new arm?” Bucky asked, confused.

 

“Yes,” Lexi nodded, finishing her dinner. “If there was trouble here, would they expect you to fight for them?”

 

Bucky sat back again, looking thoughtful. “If they needed my help,” he said, “I would do whatever I could, arm or no arm.” His hand rested on the table, his index finger tapping slowly. “They’ve broken the law by knowingly harboring an international fugitive inside their borders for more than a year; more than that, they’ve fed and sheltered me and given me medical aid. They took care of Steve, Sam, Wanda, Clint, and that other guy, the shrinking guy—“

 

“Scott Lang,” Lexi supplied automatically.

 

“Yeah, him,” Bucky nodded before continuing. “They didn’t need to do any of that, but they still did it. If they ever need my help, I’ll be there.” He tilted his head, studying her expression. “Does that bother you?”

 

“No,” she said, though admittedly without much conviction. “It’s pretty much what I expected, honestly.” She set her jaw then, and Bucky was a little taken aback at the intensity of the glare she leveled at him. “But I will tell you one thing, though, and it is non-negotiable.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

_“This,”_ and Lexi pointed vaguely around the two of them. “This is not happening again. You are not leaving me behind again. If you stand up to fight, or leave to go on a mission, I am going to be right there with you. Understood?”

 

“But I thought you didn’t want to fight,” Bucky said, frowning. “I thought you were—“

 

“I know what I am,” Lexi said flatly, “and I know what I can do. I’ll do it without thinking twice to protect the people that are important to me.”

 

“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Bucky said, shaking his head. “I know how badly you’ve felt about hurting people.”

 

“If it’s the difference between you and them? Or Steve? Or any of our friends? I will kill every last son of a bitch that even dares to look at you cross-eyed.” Lexi huffed a laugh then, and it was a cynical sound. “It wouldn’t even be hard. I could do it just as easily as snapping my fingers.” She snapped her thumb and middle finger together, the loud crack echoing through the space. “When I was following Steve and the others? _Not_ killing the people who tried to hurt them was the hard part.”

 

They sat, looking at each other intently for a few seconds, before Bucky said, “I don’t want to ever put you in that position.”

 

“I don’t want you to ever have to fight again,” Lexi shrugged, not breaking eye contact. “But we don’t always get what we want.”

 

“No, we don’t,” Bucky agreed.

 

“So…is this a deal-breaker?” she asked, and even though she was trying to stay strong, Bucky could hear the tiny waver in her voice.

 

He shook his head without hesitation. “Absolutely not. If you want to fight next to me, I’d be an idiot to say no.”

 

A few seconds passed before the tension started to leave her shoulders. “I’m glad you realize that,” Lexi said, clearly relieved and trying not to smirk.

 

“Yeah, yeah, little badass,” he grinned, pushing back from the table. “How’s about we wash these dishes and then go watch the sun set?”

 

***

 

They made it outside just in time to see the sun touch the horizon, a riot of golds, oranges, and reds giving way to deeper and deeper blue further to the east. They weren’t the only ones outside; a dozen or so of the older village residents stood about, appreciating the beauty around them. Several of them smiled at Bucky and Lexi, nodding and waving. To Bucky’s amusement, they didn’t seem even remotely surprised to see a strange woman by his side.

 

“News travels fast,” he smiled, his arm slung around Lexi’s shoulders.

 

“I can’t even begin to imagine what those kids told everyone,” she replied, chewing on her lip a little nervously.

 

“Don’t you worry about it,” he murmured, tucking her under his chin. “Anyone who talks to you will fall in love with you. I’m just waitin’ for the chance to show off my hot, young wife to the neighbors.”

 

“Ridiculous old man,” she mumbled teasingly under her breath.

 

“Darn tootin’,” he chuckled, kissing her forehead, as the final rays of the sun disappeared behind the western mountains, casting a shadow across the landscape.

 

As darkness began to fall around them, they turned and walked back to the hut, Bucky still holding her close to his side. After walking inside and turning on a couple of lights, Bucky said, “I couldn’t help but notice this morning that you seemed a little tense. Did I do something to upset you?”

 

She stepped away from him and his arm dropped to his side. “It wasn’t anything you did, specifically,” she said, shaking her head slightly and picking at a thumbnail. “It’s just that…” she trailed off, her brow furrowing.

 

“Just what, sweetheart?” he asked softly.

 

“I woke up this morning with your arm around me,” she started quietly, “and for a second I forgot where I was. I got scared.”

 

“Baby girl,” he whispered, looking heartbroken, “I wish you’d said something, woken me up.”

 

Lexi shook her head. “I rolled off the bed and was outside before I got my bearings. By the time I calmed down, Tadeo was walking by.” She shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “I decided to go with him. It was easier than facing you.”

 

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Bucky said.

 

“I’m just not really used to being…touched, anymore. Not really,” she admitted, her fingers twisting together. “Little touches during the day is one thing, but suddenly waking up in an unfamiliar place with someone holding me…. I panicked.” Seeing his crestfallen expression, she said, “I’m sorry.”

 

“There’s nothing to apologize for, love,” he said, shaking his head. He looked at the bed mat, which was, truthfully, rather narrow for two adults. “Would you feel better if I slept somewhere else?”

 

“No,” she shook her head quickly. “I mean, I can’t guarantee that it won’t happen again,” she said, “but I don’t want to be alone.”

 

“No, I don’t mean that I’d leave you here,” he assured her, “but I could get another bed mat to sleep on if that would help.”

 

Lexi frowned. “Maybe….”

 

Bucky nodded, though he looked a little sad. “I’ll ask Shuri tomorrow.”

 

“You didn’t let me finish,” Lexi said, a tone of mild exasperation in her voice. “Maybe a slightly _bigger_ bed mat, rather than another one. Can we do that?”

 

Bucky’s lips quirked up a bit. “So…you still want to sleep in the same bed?” he asked.

 

“Well, yeah, ya big dumbass,” she said, laughing shakily as she lightly smacked his arm. “If there’s one thing I would really like to get used to again, it’s sleeping with you.”

 

His grin stretched across his face as he caught her hand. “Me, too,” he said, slowly reeling her in.

 

She carefully wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her forehead against his chest. “Be patient with me?” she whispered.

 

“Of course, baby girl,” he replied softly, kissing the top of her head. “Take all the time you need.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that! Sorry it took a while--formatting was nasty on this one.
> 
> There will be more to come between Lexi and the Dora Milaje, just in case anyone is curious. ;)
> 
> Thank you to everyone for sticking with me. It currently looks like this story will run about 20-25 chapters. I know it's not going to be anywhere near as long as RYAR, but we are dealing with a seriously compressed time frame. According to my (occasionally changeable) timeline, we're entering the last quarter of 2017 at this point
> 
> Any errors in translation (and I'm sure they'd be doozies) are the property of Google Translate. :D
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	10. How to Start Living Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, all! I've gotta say, it's been an...interesting week. Unfortunately, I spent most of Friday in the hospital due to a severe anxiety attack (my heart rate refused to drop), so now I get to go hang out with a cardiologist to make sure there's nothing else wrong. I'm telling you, home renovations are the worst.
> 
> But, after loading me up with beta-blockers and an increase in dosage, I'm doing okay, and now I can share this somewhat fluffy chapter with you. It may seem like there's not a lot going on, but it does set the stage for the future.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it and that you have a great week!
> 
> <3

 

The following morning, Bucky took a deep breath, feeling immediately that Lexi was no longer in bed. Before he could do more than exhale sleepily, though, he heard her say quietly, “Good morning.”

 

He turned his head and opened his eyes to see her sitting at the little kitchen table, drinking from an earthenware mug that Bucky didn’t recognize. “Hi there,” he croaked, his voice sounding scratchy and raspy. After clearing his throat, he tried again. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said, sitting up. “How did you sleep?”

 

“Pretty good,” she smiled, nodding slightly. “No unpleasant dreams, which was a nice change. How about you?”

 

“I slept great,” he grinned. He tilted his chin in her direction, noting she was fully dressed. “Looks like you’ve been up for a little while.”

 

“Yeah,” she admitted, shrugging. “I went outside an hour or so ago. Tadeo’s grandmother—her name is Abuya, by the way—saw me and insisted on giving me some red hibiscus tea. She said I was too skinny.” She snorted. “She also said I needed more comfortable clothes,” she said, holding up a combat-boot-clad foot.

 

“She’s got a point,” Bucky nodded, turning and setting his feet on the floor, sliding them into his own, slightly puppy-chewed sandals. “About both of those things. Let’s get some breakfast started and then we’ll decide what we’re doing today.”

 

“I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the cooktop,” Lexi frowned, setting the mug on the table and getting to her feet. “I don’t see where the power supply is coming from.”

 

Bucky stood and approached her, slowly reaching for her left hand; she put her hand easily in his, so he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. When she responded with a little smile, he kissed her again, on the lips this time, slowly and softly. Thankfully, there was no unexpected jolt of energy, and he hummed softly, “Mmm, you taste good.”

 

“It’s good tea,” she whispered, still smiling, but sounding perhaps a little breathless.

 

Bucky narrowed his eyes playfully and squeezed her hand, but not too tightly, and then stepped around her to walk into the kitchen. “Yeah, the appliances here all run on vibranium batteries,” he said, giving her a quick tutorial on how to use the few appliances he had. “Apparently they last forever.”

 

He prepared some eggs and toast while Lexi set the table, all the while telling her about the eco-friendly nature of the huts. “Every hut has a cistern to collect rainwater to use in addition to well water, and they’ve managed to figure out a reclamation system that is able to filter and re-use close to ninety-five percent of the water everyone uses. It’s amazing,” he told her. “Don’t ask me how they do it; Shuri described the process to me once and I was completely lost two sentences in. So the good news is that there’s a shower with hot water—the bad news is that the hot water is limited. It’s way better than what Steve and I grew up with in Brooklyn,” he shrugged, “but it’s not like what we had back at HQ, There’s more than enough for me to get cleaned up with only one hand, though, so you’ll be fine. If you’d like, after breakfast, you can go first.”

 

“Um, thanks,” Lexi nodded, pouring two glasses of juice and setting them on the table. “A hot shower would be nice.”

 

“It’s all yours,” Bucky smiled. “There’s a central laundromat-type-building in the village where everyone washes their clothes,” he told her. “There’s a schedule, so everyone has specific days that they use the facilities; mine—well, our day, now—is tomorrow. Is that okay?” he asked, plating up some eggs and toast and setting it in front of her.

 

“Yeah, sure,” she replied absently, sitting at the table and sipping her tea.

 

Bucky brought a plate over for himself at sat down. “Are you okay?” he asked, watching her with a little frown. “You seem…distracted.”

 

“I, well—“ Lexi wrinkled up her nose a bit as she tried to make sense of her thoughts. He smiled, thinking how much he’d missed her adorable little expressions. “I’m wondering what I can do here, really. I mean, I can’t stay here and be using up resources without giving back somehow.”

 

He nodded in understanding. “I know what you mean,” he said. “I’ve been struggling with that myself.” He took another bite of his breakfast. He sat back, resting his hand on the table. “Most of my time here so far has been about recovering and getting used to doing things one-handed,” he said. “Sometimes the villagers try to show me things, like how to take care of the goats,” he smiled. “It’s nice, taking care of the little guys, rather than….”

 

“Rather than fighting,” Lexi finished for him.

 

“Rather than killing,” Bucky amended.

 

“You never have to do that again,” she said.

 

Bucky smiled at her, a little lopsided, and then picked up his juice glass. He held it up in her direction, grinning when she picked up her glass and _clinked_ it against his. “Here’s hoping,” he said softly.

 

After they finished eating, they washed the dishes and put them away. Bucky showed her how to use the shower controls, which, like the kitchen appliances, were fairly simple and surprisingly modern, considering how rustic the outside of the hut appeared. “The lever controls pressure—up for more, down for less, all the way down to turn it off,” he said, demonstrating. “Twist counter-clockwise to make it warmer, clockwise to cool it down.” He shut it off and said, “There you go. Towels are right here,” he pointed to the shelf next to him, “and I’ll, uh, I’ll leave you to it.”

 

“Thanks,” Lexi said, waiting until Bucky left, shutting the bathroom door behind him, to get undressed. She showered quickly, using the shampoo, conditioner, and soap that were available; the scents were clean and vaguely citrusy, smelling neither overtly masculine nor feminine. When she was done, she stepped out of the little shower stall and dried off, wrapping one of the towels around herself.

 

It was then she realized that she hadn’t brought in any of her toiletries or clean clothes to change into; she opened the door a bit and called out, “Bucky?” When he didn’t answer, she gathered up her dirty clothes and walked out to the front room, where her pack was lying next to the bed mat. Bucky was nowhere in sight.

 

She was digging through her pack, pulling out her brush, body lotion, and one of her last sets of clean-ish clothes, when the curtain over the archway was pulled aside and Bucky came back in.

 

“Oh!” Lexi yelped, startled. She grabbed the towel tightly around herself, dropping the clothes onto the bed mat.

 

“Hey-y-y, Lex,” Bucky said, his voice trailing off as he realized that she was standing there in nothing but a white towel. A wet, white towel. A wet, white towel that hung only to mid-thigh, allowing him to see her toned, strong, gorgeous legs; droplets of water lazily making their way down the golden flesh of her thighs and past her kneecaps to her calves, and—he gulped, his throat suddenly very dry.

 

He slammed his eyes shut and he spun around to face the other way. “Sorry! Sorry, I swear I didn’t know you were out here. I was just, uh, just looking for—for something. Something that, _fuck,_ that I can’t remember now for the life of me what it was, so I’m just going to go back outside for a few minutes so you can, uh, yeah. Get dressed. Yeah. Okay.”

 

Without looking at her again, he raced back outside, pulling the curtain securely shut behind him.

 

Lexi stood there for a few seconds, completely stunned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at the absolute ridiculousness of the situation the two of them had found themselves in. Finally she took a deep breath, picked up her toiletries and clean clothes, and went back into the bathroom to get dressed.

 

Once that was accomplished, and her hair was brushed out and pulled back into a long braid, she went outside, finding Bucky chatting with Shuri.

 

“Good morning, Lexi!” she called out, grinning happily.

 

“Hi,” she responded with a nervous smile and a small wave.

 

Shuri gestured behind her, where two men were wheeling over a refrigerator that was roughly twice the size of the one currently inside the hut. “We are here to exchange the cooler.”

 

“Oh,” Lexi said, surprised. “That’s really nice of you. Thank you.”

 

“It is no problem,” she said. “We also have a new bed mat for you.”

 

Lexi looked at Bucky with a slightly wide-eyed expression. He shrugged and explained, “I called her when you got in the shower.”

 

“Oh, okay,” she nodded. “Thank you,” she said again to Shuri.

 

“Of course. We want you to be comfortable here,” Shuri assured her. As the workmen wandered by, she said, “Bucky tells me you are considering getting some new clothes.” Her eyes sparkled at the prospect of shopping.

 

“Um, maybe,” Lexi said, a sheepish grin crossing her features. “It’s been brought to my attention that I should wear something more comfortable.”

 

Shuri laughed, rolling her eyes. “One of the older village ladies, right?” When Lexi nodded, her lips curling up in a half-smile, Shuri said, “They are so nosy, but they mean well. It’s their way of asking you to stay.”

 

“Really?” Lexi asked, confused. “I’m a complete stranger to them. Why would they…?”

 

“Word travels quickly in the village,” Shuri said simply. Bucky nudged Lexi with his elbow, quirking his eyebrow and giving her an _I told you so_ look. “Since you have been here, you have helped a little boy find flowers for his _umakhulu,_ and this one—“ she poked Bucky in the ribs, making him squawk, “—hasn’t stopped smiling.” She looked at Lexi kindly. “They are very shrewd judges of character here. They can see your goodness, even when you have difficulty seeing it in yourself.”

 

Lexi swallowed hard, dropping her gaze quickly as moisture pricked at her eyelids. Bucky put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her against his side, kissing the top of her head.

 

The workmen switched out the refrigerator and the bed mat and were on their way in only a few minutes. As she returned to her vehicle, Shuri said, “Perhaps in a day or two you would like to join me for some lunch and shopping?”

 

“That sounds fun,” Lexi said, finding to her astonishment that she actually meant it.

 

After she left, Lexi turned to Bucky and said, “Shower’s free. I mean,” she rolled her eyes at herself, “obviously it’s free. If you wanted to use it.”

 

He smiled then, laughter bubbling under the surface. “Yeah, I probably should,” he agreed, taking her hand and gently tugging her toward the doorway. “C’mon,” he said with a grin, “let’s check out the new bed.”

 

Lexi followed, definitely feeling a little nervous—at least until he whooped and threw himself across the new, significantly larger bed mat. “Cushy,” he smiled, slowly bouncing to a stop. “This is nice.” He kicked his sandals off and patted the space next to him.

 

She sat down beside him, a surprised bark of laughter escaping her when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I love that sound,” he murmured, curling himself around her, his chest firmly against her back. He nuzzled into the nape of her neck and sighed contentedly.

 

“What sound?” Lexi asked, smiling softly. She rested her arm over his, holding him in place.

 

“Your laugh,” he replied, snuggling even closer. “I haven’t heard it much since you got here. I’ve missed it.”

 

“I know,” she said, letting her eyes slide shut, her body relaxing a little. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Nothing to be sorry for, baby girl,” he assured her. “I just want you to be happy, or at least comfortable. At peace, maybe. Not sure how to say it, really.”

 

“At peace works, for now,” Lexi said, feeling their bodies mold to each other almost automatically. “I think comfortable comes next, then happy. I’m working on it.”

 

“Everything at your pace, love,” he whispered. “Don’t rush yourself. I’m not going anywhere.” He gave her another squeeze and kissed her head, then slowly loosened his arm from around her waist. “Except to take a shower. I need to get cleaned up.”

 

“Okay.” She sat up and looked down at Bucky’s smiling face as she poked the springy surface of the bed mat. “This is cushy. I like it.”

 

“Plenty of room for you to starfish out now, too,” he smiled, pushing himself up to a sitting position and swinging his feet over the edge of the mat.

 

“What? _Me?_ ” Lexi asked in disbelief. “You’re the one that sprawls across the whole bed, pal.”

 

“Never,” he laughed, getting to his feet and walking around the bed before heading to the bathroom. “I am a considerate and dainty sleeper, never moving a muscle or making a sound, always staying on my side and never, ever stealing the blankets.”

 

“You are an octopus, you big liar,” she replied, completely unable to hold back the giggle that burst forth, “arms and legs everywhere, all grabby and squeezy.”

 

“You love it, ya little brat,” he grinned at her, ducking into the bathroom when she threw one of his sandals at him. It smacked the door with a satisfying _thud_ right where his face had been only a second before. He poked his head out again briefly to blow a kiss at her and then he shut the door, the shower turning on just a moment later.

 

She huffed a laugh as she sat there, before dropping her face into her hands and muttering, “Yeah, I do,” followed by a noise that was half-sigh, half-frustration and sounded like _Eerrrgghhhhaaaaaabblechhhh_. Once that was out of the way, she decided to be useful and put the food away in the new refrigerator—and try not to think of what Bucky was doing in the shower.

 

***

 

Bucky, likewise, was concentrating on getting clean; his mind kept straying, however, to other things—like how Lexi had looked wearing nothing but a towel, how warm and soft she felt in his arms, how good she smelled, and the sound of her laughter. Hearing her playful teasing, seeing the little bit of sparkle in her eyes again—it all filled him with hope.

 

Their interactions to this point had felt like two steps forward, one step back; Lexi trying to act like everything was okay, but then getting anxious when she still didn’t feel ‘right.’ He knew it was going to take time and patience, which he was more than willing to provide. Getting Lexi to be patient with herself, on the other hand, might not be so simple. Maybe talking to Shuri, or finding a therapist of her own to talk to would help.

 

Reflecting over these thoughts in his head provided enough distraction that Bucky was able to finish showering without giving in to his less-than-innocent musings. He rinsed, turned off the water, and grabbed a towel and rubbed it roughly over his head and body, drying off as best he could.

 

And then he realized his predicament. As long as he had been living in the hut—alone—wandering around naked hadn’t been an issue. Having only one hand made wrapping a towel around his waist a little difficult. He attempted to fling the towel around himself, but found that he couldn’t catch the end before it fell away. After the third attempt, he gave up, shaking his head.

 

“Oh, well,” he murmured, flipping the towel over his shoulder. He opened the door and stuck his head out. “Lex?”

 

“In the kitchen,” she replied. “I think I’ve got the hang of this cooktop.”

 

“Great, yeah, that’s great,” he said. “Um, I’m gonna grab some clothes, alright?”

 

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed, distracted by whatever she was cooking.

 

“Okay, just wanted to warn ya,” he said, an evil little smirk beginning to form. He walked out into the sleeping area, sauntering across the room to the chest where he kept his clothes.

 

“Warn me?” Lexi asked absently. She was stirring something in a pot, a long-handled metal spoon held gracefully in her fingers. “About what?”

 

“’Cause I’m naked.”

 

“What?”

 

She turned to face him with a confused expression; her eyes widened and she dropped the spoon with a loud _clang_ onto the stone floor. “Oh,” she whispered.

 

She watched as he strolled through the room, the muscles under his flushed, damp skin stretching and flexing as he moved; her eyes tracking upward from his calves to the backs of his thighs to his _oh holy mother of god_ — He turned to face her then, taking one end of the towel and drying his hair a bit more. The other end of the towel hung over his shoulder, down past his chest and stomach, just barely covering his—

 

“Sorry. Can’t really get the towel around me,” he said, her eyes flying up to meet his. His eyes, which she could see, were practically dancing above his devilishly handsome grin.

 

“I—oh, I, uh—“ she stammered, finally looking down at the floor. She bent quickly to retrieve the spoon she had dropped, quietly counting down from ten before standing and moving immediately to the sink to rinse the utensil. “Yeah, no, of course,” she stumbled, shaking her head to clear it.

 

She returned to the cooktop without turning to look at Bucky, but she could hear as he pulled clothes out and dropped them on the bed mat. “Thanks for making the bed,” he said.

 

“Sure, no problem,” Lexi called out as she resumed stirring, perhaps a little louder and squeakier than she intended.

 

Bucky got dressed, rather slower than usual, keeping an eye on his girl the whole time. When she turned a bit, glancing over her shoulder, he grinned and said, “I see you peekin’!” She jumped with a yelp, turning around to face the cooktop again.

 

“Sorry!” she exclaimed, stirring quickly.

 

Bucky finished getting dressed and came over to stand behind her. “I’m just teasin’ ya, sweetheart. Go ahead and peek all ya want.” He set his hand lightly on her waist and dropped his chin onto her shoulder. “Whatcha cookin’? Smells good.”

 

“It’s called karanga,” Lexi said. “It’s a beef and potato stew. One of the kids brought it over.” She chuckled a little. “Pretty sure the whole village is worried that we’ll starve to death if they don’t feed us.” She elbowed him lightly in the ribs. “And I wasn’t peeking.”

 

He snickered and kissed the side of her head. “’Course not, baby.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

He continued to smile widely as he set the table for lunch.

 

***

 

It was another two days before Shuri came back to the _boma,_ hoping to lure them both into Birnin Zana for the afternoon. Having done their laundry the day before, several of the little village ladies laughingly showing Lexi how to use the machines, there were only morning chores to finish after Shuri’s call.

 

The morning after the new bed mat had arrived, Bucky woke to find Lexi lying on her side of the bed, watching him sleep. He smiled, happy that she was still there, even if she was curled in on herself and too far away. He reached over slowly, just resting his hand on top of hers; she had exhaled, almost in relief, and smiled at him in return. They had gotten up and gone about their chores for the day, and Lexi had seemed relaxed for the most part.

 

As Bucky had hoped, Lexi was welcomed into the village just as he had been. Her ability to speak the language had delighted the other residents; they had jokingly suggested that she teach Bucky a word or two so that he didn’t try to eat the laundry soap again. (Bucky, in his defense, had argued that soap shouldn’t smell that delicious and that it hadn’t actually tasted that bad.)

 

The next day, Bucky had awakened early to find Lexi already up and gone. He wandered outside and peered through the fog that had rolled in overnight, finally seeing her wrapped in a blanket and sitting by the lake, quietly watching some ducks floating by. He approached her, taking care to make his footfalls louder than strictly necessary so as not to startle her, and then he sat behind her, bracketing her with his legs.

 

“Morning, sweetheart,” he whispered, kissing the back of her head. When he heard her sniffle, he asked in concern, “What’s wrong, baby?”

 

She shook her head, leaning back against him, and he wrapped his arm around her. Hooking his chin over her shoulder, he looked down and saw a dark chocolate-brown puppy, curled up in her lap and sound asleep. “Who’s your friend?” he asked, smiling.

 

“He saw me,” she said shakily. When Bucky made a questioning noise, she continued. “Some of the kids came by earlier, and I didn’t want them to see me—they had goats and dogs, and it was just too much—“ she shook her head at herself, knowing she was getting off track. “This little guy was lagging behind, trying so hard to keep up, and he, uh, he saw me. Came right over to me and climbed into my lap and fell asleep. Even when the others didn’t see me…he did.”

 

“Sounds like a pretty smart little pupper,” Bucky said, reaching down to run a gentle finger over the puppy’s nose. The tiny dog twitched in his sleep and yawned widely, squirming to get comfortable, not even once opening his eyes before he settled and was lightly snoring again. “Sleepy little pupper, too.”

 

“He’s a lot smaller than the others,” Lexi said softly, leaning more heavily against Bucky’s solid body. He scooted even closer, so that they were pressed together. She offered him the blanket, and he wrapped it around the both of them, cocooning them together. She relaxed into his warmth; he held her close, and together they watched as the sun tried to break through the haze that hung over the lake as the day began.

 

***

 

Just a little while later, when the sun had finally burned away the morning fog, Bucky and Lexi got to their feet and wandered into the village, the diminutive puppy happily running circles around them as they walked. It wasn’t long before they encountered one of the boys charged with the puppy’s care running toward them.

 

“ _Naku ulapha!_ ” (“There you are!”) he shouted, smiling from ear-to-ear, as he scooped the tiny dog up into his arms. The puppy was clearly thrilled to see him, licking the boy’s face with gusto.

 

“ _Wayeka ngokutyelela nathi,_ ” (“He stopped by to visit with us,”) Lexi told him, scratching the puppy behind the ears. “ _Ngubani igama lakhe?_ ” (“What is his name?”)

 

“ _Simbiza ngokuthi iGichinga,_ ” (“We call him Gichinga,”) the boy replied with a grin.

 

“ _Ndiyayithanda. Liyamfanisa,_ ” (“I like it. It suits him,”) Lexi said, turning to Bucky, who was watching the exchange with a smile. “His name is Gichinga,” she told him. “It means ‘Fearless.’”

 

“Of course it does,” Bucky laughed. He reached forward to tickle under the puppy’s chin; the small dog tried to nip at his fingers, his little head twisting this way and that. The tiny pup’s eyes were a startlingly light blue, which looked even paler against his dark fur. “What breed of dog is he?” Bucky asked.

 

Lexi relayed his question to the young man, who shrugged slightly, telling them that they weren’t entirely sure, but that he was probably part Labrador with some kind of herding dog mixed in. “ _Ezinye iilitha ziye zazintle nabantu kunye nezilwanyana. Unobulumko kwaye unomusa._ ” (“The other litters have been good with people and animals. Smart and kind.”)

 

“I can tell,” Lexi said, before asking if it would be okay if she visited the puppy from time to time. The boy was excited, telling her that they could usually be found around the goat and rhino pens. Lexi’s eyes widened and she asked, “You let the little ones near the rhinos?”

 

The boy smiled and shook his head. “ _Ukude bade bekhulile, ungakhathazeki._ ” (“Not until they are older, don’t worry.”) Soon thereafter, they said their goodbyes and returned to the hut to have breakfast and start the day. 

***

 

They finished their chores quickly, having just enough time to get cleaned up and changed before Shuri arrived to take them to the capital city for the afternoon. “Good morning!” she greeted them. “You are both looking well today.”

 

“As are you,” Bucky said cheerily. “All full of vim and vigor, as usual.”

 

“ _’Vim and vigor’_?” Shuri echoed, arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “What kind of nonsense is that?”

 

“Old guy nonsense,” Lexi mumbled to Shuri as she walked by, causing the younger woman to laugh out loud.

 

“I heard that,” Bucky growled, fighting back a smile.

 

They left for Birnin Zana soon after; Shuri had a plan for Lexi and Bucky was just along for the ride. She took them through the marketplace, finding comfortable clothing that Lexi could wear around the village or when she and Bucky had errands to run in the city. Wrap-around skirts, some long, some short, light tops, several different shoes; Shuri told Bucky that he had to wait outside the shop while they perused the undergarments. “Aw, come on,” he laughed. “Just let me wait inside. I won’t peek or nothin’.”

 

“Absolutely not,” Shuri said, a hilariously scandalized look on her face. “That would be highly improper.”

 

“It won’t take long, I promise,” Lexi said, seemingly avoiding his eyes. She almost appeared bashful, Bucky thought, except that she wasn’t blushing. As far as he could recall, he hadn’t seen her blush even once since coming to Wakanda.

 

“No, that’s okay, take your time. I’ll be over there,” he smiled, pointing to a café, “having a drink.” He winked at Lexi. “Have fun.”

 

“We will,” Shuri smirked, opening the door and leading Lexi inside.

 

Bucky entered the sidewalk café and grabbed a small table, situated so that he could have a wall at his back and still keep an eye on the shop Shuri and Lexi had gone into. A young woman came over to him and took his drink order, which he made by pointing at a picture in the menu. She smiled and nodded, leaving only for a few minutes before returning with his glass.

 

He sipped slowly, noting the lime and honey flavors, with just a hint of mint. The base was definitely vodka, but since it no effect on him whatsoever, he wasn’t concerned. It was light and refreshing, and he nodded his approval to the young woman, smiling and saying, “ _Enkosi._ ”

 

He was just nearing the bottom of the glass when Lexi and Shuri emerged from the shop, both of them carrying even more bags. He raised his hand to get their attention, and they came over to join them.

 

“Successful shopping?” he asked, grinning at them and eyeballing the bag that Lexi set on the floor.

 

Shuri narrowed her eyes playfully at his glass. “A _dawa?_ Isn’t it a little early for that kind of drinking?”

 

“Alcohol has no effect on me, Princess,” he shrugged with a smug grin. “Besides, it’s always happy hour somewhere.” He slid the almost-empty glass toward Lexi. “Wanna try it? It’s good.”

 

“No, thank you,” Lexi shook her head, gently pushing the glass back in his direction with a smile. “Alcohol does have an effect on me, in case you’ve forgotten, and I can smell the vodka in that from here. Too early for me.”

 

“Actually, it’s the perfect time to go back to the palace and have some lunch with my brother,” Shuri said, noticing how Lexi’s eyes shot over to her nervously. “It’s a friendly lunch, nothing more, I promise.”

 

“Sounds good,” Bucky smiled, throwing back the rest of the vodka in the glass. He gestured to the young woman to pay for his drink. “Let’s go.”

 

***

 

Inside the palace, in the royal family’s dining room, they all sat down for a light lunch. T’Challa joined them after several minutes, greeting both Bucky and Lexi with a genuine smile. “I hear everything is going well in the Border Tribe,” he said to Lexi, sitting at one end of the table. “The villagers are quite taken with you.”

 

Lexi smiled, though she was a little confused. “I’ve only been there a few days,” she said. “Not sure how they could have any kind of opinion of me yet.”

 

“Let’s just say that the people of Wakanda—especially the tribal elders—are very good at seeing what is in a person’s heart,” T’Challa said, his expression friendly. “From what I understand, you are quite highly educated and have spent several years in the medical field, helping the Avengers, their recruits, and military veterans as well.” He nodded approvingly, a smile crossing his features. “All of your teammates, and especially Captain Rogers, spoke very highly of you.”

 

Lexi looked at him, curiosity furrowing her brow. “You’ve mentioned Steve before. What exactly did he tell you about me?”

 

T’Challa set his elbows on the table, his fingers steepled under his chin, as he paused for a moment. “He told me, among other things, that you are Thor’s half-sister and that you are extremely powerful.”

 

Shuri nearly spit out her water and ended up coughing into a napkin. _“What?”_ she gasped, looking wide-eyed back and forth between the two of them.

 

Giving her a brief sideways glance, T’Challa continued. “He also told me that you can change your appearance simply by thinking about it, and that you can completely disappear at will.”

 

Shuri gaped at her, her mouth ajar.

 

Lexi nodded slowly, chewing on her bottom lip. “Anything else?” she asked.

 

“I believe he felt that saying too much was, shall we say, not in anybody’s best interest.” He cocked his head to the side. “There is more?”

 

Lexi huffed a laugh. “Oh, yeah, there’s more.”

 

A quiet hung over the table for several seconds. Bucky watched Lexi carefully, trying to gauge whether she was upset by this development. She merely looked at the table, the gears definitely turning in her head.

 

“Are you seriously telling me,” Shuri blurted suddenly, “that you are Thor’s half-sister?”

 

“It’s not something we’ll ever advertise,” Bucky said firmly, reaching over to touch Lexi’s shoulder protectively. “No spreading this gossip around, Princess.”

 

“No, no, of course not—but how fascinating!” she said excitedly. “How did you discover this?”

 

That led to a short discussion of Lexi’s adoption and the blanket that they, at first, thought meant Lexi was half-Asgardian. “Thor thought it was the reason I have the Allspeak.”

 

“The Allspeak?” T’Challa asked. “Is that what it sounds like?”

 

“Yes,” Lexi nodded. “I can read, write, speak, and understand any and every language on Earth—every language in the Universe, Thor tells me. He has it, too. Apparently it’s not uncommon among Asgardians.”

 

Shuri tilted her head slightly. “You said you _thought_ you were half-Asgardian. You are not?”

 

Lexi shook her head, telling her of the DNA test run by Helen Cho. “Whoever our mother is, apparently the Allspeak is a gift she has as well.”

 

“That is amazing,” Shuri sighed. “I would love to be able to do that.”

 

“Didn’t you create something similar for Steve, Nat, and Sam to wear? A translator of some kind?” Lexi asked. Bucky turned to her questioningly.

 

“I did, yes,” Shuri said, surprised. “How did you know that?”

 

“I, uh, followed them around for a while,” Lexi admitted. “Noticed they could communicate fairly easily with people, even when I knew they didn’t speak the language.”

 

Shuri described the device to her, which fit inside the comm devices they were already using. Shuri then turned to Lexi and said, “Perhaps when we are finished here, Lexi, you would like to see the lab where Bucky and I have been working.”

 

“I’d love to, it looks fascinating,” Lexi replied, taking a sip of papaya juice before she froze, her eyes widening when she realized what she’d just said.

 

“You’ve seen it?” Shuri asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. Then her jaw dropped. “Did your _Umoya_ come to my lab?”

 

Lexi shut her eyes and sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid the conversation at this point. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “After I saw you in the medical suite with Bucky I followed you. I was still upset that he had chosen to go under, and I wanted to be certain he wasn’t in danger here. So when I saw you talking to him, explaining what you were doing, even though he was asleep, I figured you were the one leading his treatment. So…I followed you to your lab.” She looked at Shuri then. “It was really a horrible breach of your privacy. I’m so sorry.”

 

“This is so exciting! I’ve been so curious!” Shuri exclaimed, grinning widely, which was not the reaction Lexi expected at all. Bucky, on the other hand, didn’t seem surprised, nor did T’Challa. “What can you do in that form? Can you go anywhere you want? Can you move things?”

 

“Well,” Lexi stammered, shaking her head at the barrage of questions.

 

“Calm down, Shuri,” T’Challa chided her playfully. “Doctor Shaeffer is not obligated to answer your questions.”

 

Shuri full-on pouted at T’Challa, actually making Lexi laugh a little. “It’s, um, it’s okay, really,” she said, smiling at the curious girl. “It’s not me, fully,” she explained, “it’s a projection of my consciousness, if that makes sense. I can’t do anything of a physical nature, but I can see and hear everything.” She turned to Bucky then. “Though you seemed to be able to sense when I was there, even when you were sleeping.”

 

“Yeah?” he asked, grinning.

 

“Yeah,” Lexi nodded, a little smile turning up the corner of her lips. “I touched your face and you turned toward my hand. Shocked the hell out of me.”

 

“There is clearly a deep, profound connection between the two of you,” Shuri said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “So now the big question is,” she said seriously, pointing a fork in their direction, “are you two really married?”

 

Both Lexi and Bucky looked at her in such surprise and confusion that Shuri had to laugh. “Well, Grumpy Cat called you his wife when he first woke up,” she said to Lexi, “but my brother says Captain Rogers told him that you weren’t officially married.”

 

“Oh,” Lexi said, chuckling a little. “No, we’re not legally married—“

 

“Not that we don’t want to be,” Bucky said, holding up his right hand and wiggling his finger with the titanium band.

 

“But neither of us is in a position to get a marriage license,” Lexi shrugged. When Shuri and T’Challa both frowned, bewildered, she explained. “We’ve both needed to avoid public records, and we decided that we didn’t need a piece of paper to make it real.”

 

“You can get married here, if you wish,” Shuri said, looking incredibly excited. “You have nothing to hide in Wakanda, and T’Challa can perform the ceremony.” At their wide-eyed reactions, she waved her hands around and said, “We can talk about that more later. So what did you think of my lab?”

 

Lexi felt like she was experiencing whiplash at the speed with which the young woman jumped from subject to subject. “It’s amazing,” she said honestly. “I saw the design plans that you were working on for Bucky’s arm. It looks very impressive.”

 

Bucky frowned and turned to Shuri. “You’re working on an arm for me?”

 

“Of course, I am,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I know you said you would let me know when you were ready, but I want to be prepared for when that day comes. These things do not design themselves overnight.”

 

“I would love to get a closer look at it,” Lexi said quietly. “I’ve designed a few prosthetic pieces myself, but your technology surpasses anything I’ve seen before, even working with Tony Stark.”

 

“That’s because I’m much smarter than he is,” she grinned impishly.

 

“Which she will get a chance to prove very soon,” T’Challa said proudly. At the questioning looks on Bucky and Lexi’s faces, he said, “I took Shuri to the United States last week, to California—“

 

“But not to Disneyland,” she muttered.

 

T’Challa chuckled. “I took her to Oakland, to show her the site of the new Wakandan International Outreach Center. Nakia will head the social outreach program, and Shuri will get to introduce our science and technology to the people who can benefit the most from it.”

 

“Nakia?” Bucky asked, curious. “I don’t think I’ve met her.”

 

“She’s his ex,” Shuri whispered loudly, wide-eyed and grinning. Lexi and Bucky both chuckled at T’Challa’s eye-rolling reaction. “ _And_ she’s a spy.”

 

“Nakia is one of our best fighters and covert operatives,” T’Challa explained. “She leads a group of our _Hatut Zeraze,_ our ‘War Dogs,’” he said, “and has led many missions to free women and children kidnapped from their homes by terrorists.” He smirked a little. “She is also a Princess of the River Tribe. We have…a relationship.”

 

“She sounds amazing, and a perfect choice for heading a social outreach program—but are you sure about sharing your technology?” Lexi asked hesitantly. “That seems like a big risk for you.”

 

“It is,” T’Challa nodded. “Now that the United Nations building in Vienna has been repaired, we will be convening a Special Session next month, and offering our technological assistance to the world.”

 

“Aren’t you concerned about everyone finding out what you have here?” Bucky asked, frowning. “That kind of announcement could bring all sorts of trouble to your borders.”

 

“Our borders are well protected—well, mostly,” he grinned at Lexi, who had the grace to look a little sheepish. Becoming serious again, he said, “We do not expect this to be easy, but we cannot isolate ourselves from the world any longer. Rest assured, however, that we will not reveal your presence here to anyone. Neither of you.”

 

“Thank you,” Bucky said, Lexi echoing him.

 

“You should probably know that the ATCU is looking for me,” Lexi admitted, “though I’m not sure where they stand now that General Talbot has been injured.”

 

“Captain Rogers informed us of the ATCU’s interest in capturing you,” T’Challa nodded, “and we have no intention whatsoever of assisting them in their zealot’s crusade.”

 

“Should you run across Secretary of State Ross,” Lexi grumbled, “he can’t be trusted. At all.”

 

“I have dealt with him before, albeit briefly,” T’Challa agreed. “He is firm in his convictions, though I consider his reasoning to be flawed.” He shook his head. “I did not agree with that provision of the Accords—and I will not encourage him in his mission to capture and categorize enhanced people or the so-called Inhumans.”

 

“Thank you,” Lexi said again, smiling softly. “I really appreciate that.”

 

They continued with lunch, conversation beginning to flow more easily now. Lexi started to relax in T’Challa’s presence, despite their shaky start, and found him to be quick-witted and rather funny, with a dry sense of humor.

 

As soon as they were finished with their meal, Shuri invited both Lexi and Bucky to visit her lab, and they left for Mount Bashenga.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to put that puppy in there. Because puppies. <3
> 
> The thought of Shuri being so surprised that she practically did a spit-take makes me laugh. Childish, I know, but it made me smile. XD
> 
> Any errors in translation (and lord knows there could be many) are the sole property and responsibility of Google Translate. :)
> 
> Thank you to everyone for staying with me! There's lots of action coming up, I promise!
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	11. Finding Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I'm trying to get this uploaded quickly, while we still have internet. I'm sure you've seen the footage of the Southern California fires, so you can imagine how crazy things have been here. We are about 15 miles to the north of the active burn areas, but with the winds blowing 40-50 mph, we have to keep our eyes on it.
> 
> In lighter news, while our internet and cable were out, I finally saw Venom. Gotta say, I was a little underwhelmed. Seemed like a lot of plot holes were left open and it was wrapped up far too quickly.
> 
> Hope you all have a great week!

 

 After lunch, they went to Shuri’s lab, taking the mag-lev train system from the palace to Mount Bashenga. “Welcome to the Wakanda Design Group, Doctor Shaeffer,” Shuri said with a smile, spreading her arms to encompass the futuristic laboratories as well as the active vibranium mine right outside the large windows.

 

“This is…incredible,” Lexi whispered, her voice full of awe. “I’ll admit that I was really distracted when I followed you here before, but this is absolutely astounding.” She turned to look at Shuri in wonder. “The rest of the world isn’t going to know what hit it.”

 

Shuri gave Lexi a full tour, Bucky happily following along. He’d been there many times, but seeing it again through Lexi’s eyes was too good an opportunity to pass up. While she understood far more than Bucky had about Shuri’s work, Lexi was amazed at the technology, like the vibranium sand table.

 

“It operates like a 3-D printer?” Lexi asked, watching the objects inside the table take shape. At Shuri’s quirked eyebrow, Lexi amended her question. “It operates like the most highly advanced 3-D printer in the world?” she grinned.

 

Shuri laughed, waggling her head back and forth. “In simplest terms, yes.” When Lexi motioned for her to continue, she narrowed her eyes a bit. “You really want to hear about this?”

 

“Certainly. It’s fascinating,” Lexi assured her.

 

So Shuri began explaining the science behind it, and when Lexi not only followed along, but also asked very pointed and insightful questions, Shuri asked, “You are a doctor? A medical doctor?”

 

“Among other things,” Lexi shrugged. This time it was Shuri’s turn to motion for Lexi to continue, and the older woman sighed. “I have a couple of doctorates,” Lexi grudgingly admitted.

 

Bucky barked a laugh at that statement. “ _A couple_?” he said. Lexi frowned at him a bit, and he looked at her in confusion. “Why are you giving me that look? You’re brilliant.”

 

“I’m well educated,” Lexi said, shaking her head. “Shuri is brilliant.”

 

“I am also intrigued,” Shuri smiled, her dark eyes sparkling. “How many doctorates do you have?”

 

“Um…six,” Lexi told her. “Neurobiology, vertebrate physiology, robotics, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, and computer sciences. And a medical degree.”

 

To say Shuri’s eyes were as wide as she’s ever seen them would be an understatement. “How?” she asked, “How is that even possible? Did you do them concurrently? That would have taken far more than a decade, and you’re only—what? Twenty-seven or twenty-eight?”

 

Lexi huffed a laugh. “No, I did them only one or two at a time.” When Shuri looked at her with even more confusion, she shrugged. “I’m a little older than I look.”

 

“You don’t say,” Shuri say slowly, clearly waiting for Lexi to explain. Then she gasped, “Is this because of your mother? Is she not—“

 

“Maybe we should move on to something else,” Bucky suggested, putting his arm around Lexi’s waist. When Shuri frowned at him, Bucky said, “There’s a lot of eyes and ears out here.”

 

She shook her head. “You are both perfectly safe here, and not just in this lab. You have our word.”

 

“I get that, Princess,” Bucky agreed, “but….”

 

“He wants to protect me,” Lexi said, looking at Bucky with a little smile.

 

“Always,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her.

 

“No! None of that in my lab!” Shuri squawked, waving her hands wildly. She turned and walked toward a row of mannequins. “Moving on!”

 

Bucky chuckled, bending quickly to give Lexi a quick peck anyway before taking her hand to follow Shuri. Lexi rolled her eyes a bit, smirking.

 

“Here, I wanted to show you T’Challa’s newest suit,” Shuri grinned, motioning toward a mannequin wearing a silver necklace of what appeared to be evenly spaced claw-shaped charms.

 

Lexi pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side. “So he’ll be wearing that and nothing else?” she asked, squeaking when Bucky poked her in the side. “He’s a handsome man; it would be an interesting look. Distracting. Very strategic.”

 

“Eww!” Shuri laughed, shaking her head. “No, the suit is stored within these charms,” she explained. “Nanotechnology.” She held up one of her kimoyo beads, which glowed briefly; suddenly a full suit was forming, spreading over the mannequin away from the necklace. It only took a few seconds for the suit to be complete.

 

“Wow,” Lexi whispered as the suit took shape. They discussed the make up and programming of the nanotech involved for several minutes as Bucky ran his fingers over its textured surface.

 

“And this is really bulletproof?” he asked, flicking his middle finger hard against the chest of the suit. The area began to glow with a purplish hue. “Whoa,” he said, “What just happened?”

 

“The vibranium in the nanites absorb the kinetic energy and hold it for redistribution,” Shuri smiled.

 

“What is this?” Lexi asked with a chuckle, pointing at some Wakandan text along the left side of the torso that was still glowing. “’I love you, Mom’? That’s so sweet.”*

 

(*A/N: There really is writing on the nanotech Black Panther suit. The first line says, “I love you mom,” and the second line says, “Fight for your (something) 2 death”. I can’t figure out what part of it says, because a few of the letters appear to be upside down and/or backward. Grr.)

 

“You really can read any language on Earth?” Shuri asked Lexi. When the older woman nodded, Shuri sighed. “That is amazing. I wish I could do that. And yes,” she said with a smile, smacking Lexi’s hand, “I love my mother very much.” She turned to Bucky. “The spot that is glowing purple, where you hit it before? Do it again.”

 

Afterwards, while Bucky was still shaking his hand in surprise, Shuri explained how the suit could focus and discharge the stored kinetic energy, using an opponent’s strength against them. “We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what this technology can do. But now,” she said to Bucky, “let us take a look at what I’ve been working on for you.”

 

They spent the next half-hour going over the specifications and design for Bucky’s new arm. Now that Bucky was aware of Shuri’s plans, she made sure to ask him as many questions as possible regarding his wishes for the prosthetic’s functionality, capabilities, and appearance. Once they were done in the lab, the three took the underground transit system back toward the palace, stopping at the training center.

 

“Bucky is lucky to be in such good shape,” Shuri said. “He is ready for his new arm as soon as he wishes.”

 

“Lexi’s a great personal trainer,” Bucky smiled.

 

“We’ll need to bulk you up a little bit,” Lexi said, frowning slightly. “I noticed you’ve lost some mass since you woke up.”

 

“I think you’re right,” Bucky nodded, shrugging. “I know my calorie intake hasn’t been high enough to maintain the weight I was at before.”

 

“Why didn’t you say so? Come with me,” Shuri said, leading them further into the fitness center. “They will have a high-calorie protein-shake you can use to supplement.”

 

They followed Shuri into a huge gym that was completely decked out in top-of-the-line fitness equipment. At the other end of the cavernous room, recruits of the Dora Milaje, the Wakandan army, were practicing their staff fighting and defensive techniques. Shuri, Bucky, and Lexi watched for several minutes while the head instructor, General Okoye, and another tall, very serious-looking woman that Shuri called Ayo, sparred with a dozen of the recruits at once, not giving them any leeway. Okoye pushed them until they dropped their weapons in defeat, and then she corrected their mistakes.

 

Lexi watched intently, taking it all in. Shuri noticed her interest and said, “What do you think?”

 

“It’s fascinating, and very effective when done properly,” Lexi said honestly. “They’re very good.”

 

“Would you like to give it a try?” Shuri asked with a grin.

 

Bucky looked hesitant. “That may not be a great idea.”

 

Ayo, the woman training the recruits with Okoye, overheard Shuri speaking, looked at Lexi, and said, “That little thing? I wouldn’t want her to get hurt.”

 

Lexi laughed, genuinely amused. “That wouldn’t be a problem.”

 

Okoye turned to Lexi, intrigued, “Oh, really? What do you know of hand-to-hand combat?”

 

Bucky shook his head. “This is a bad idea.”

 

Lexi said, “I’ve studied self-defense. In your style of combat I see a mixture of Capoeira, Donga staff fighting, and _Ukungcweka_ —Zulu stick fighting; mainly diasporic arts, though now I’m wondering if the Wakandans got it from them, or if they got it from Wakanda.”

 

Okoye said, “Very good, you’ve read about it. Have you ever actually tried it?”

 

Lexi smiled pleasantly and said, “I’ve seen it done. I’m sure I could hold my own.”

 

Okoye quirked a _very_ skeptical eyebrow. “Ayo,” she called out, and the tall, serious-looking woman stepped forward.

 

“Yes, General?” she said.

 

“Please take our guest through a set of beginner drills,” Okoye said, smirking.

 

Shuri interrupted. “She’s not exactly dressed for it,” indicating Lexi’s cargo pants, sleeveless shirt, and heavy black combat boots.

 

“I’ll be fine,” Lexi said, completely unconcerned, already twisting her hair into a knot at the nape of her neck and securing it with a hair band.

 

Bucky swore under his breath. “This is a _really_ bad idea.”

 

Lexi gave him a look of false innocence as she stepped toward the mat. “Worried, sweetheart?”

 

He gave her a serious look. “ _Yes._ ”

 

“For me, or for them?” Lexi grinned then, rather predatorily, and it sent shivers down Bucky’s spine. “Relax,” she said, “this’ll be fun.”

 

Okoye and Ayo shared a look that clearly said Lexi had no idea what she had just gotten herself into.

 

“ _Ngaba ndingayifumana lula kuye?_ ” (“Shall I take it easy on her?”) Ayo asked Okoye with a knowing smile.

 

Grinning cheerfully, Lexi said, “ _Oku akuyi kuyimfuneko._ ” (“That won’t be necessary.”)

 

Ayo looked at her, shocked, as did all the recruits, who were surrounding the mat. “Well, well. You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

 

Lexi chuckled darkly. “You have no idea.”

 

Stepping onto the mat, Lexi accepted a training staff from one of the recruits and turned to face Ayo. She held the staff in her right hand, testing it; it was incredibly lightweight, though one end was definitely heavier than the other. “Is the weight distribution an accurate representation of your vibranium weapons?” Lexi asked, her eyebrows arched questioningly.

 

“Very,” Okoye said simply, smiling congenially.

 

“Impressive,” Lexi said, and then suddenly she was twirling the staff, moving it back and forth easily between her right hand and her left. She spun it around her waist and across her shoulders, swinging it above her head and then under her feet, moving it so quickly that it was a blur. She then flung it into the air as if it was a baton, catching it easily in her right hand as it came back down. “I approve,” she said with a grin. “Shall we get started?”

 

“What the fu—“ Shuri started to say, wide-eyed.

 

“Language, Princess,” Bucky said, looking at her sideways.

 

The recruits stared at Lexi, dumbfounded. Okoye looked stunned at first, but then a delighted smile came to her face. Turning to Ayo, she nodded eagerly. “Begin.”

 

Ayo fell into a defensive stance; Lexi mirrored it simultaneously, the expression on her face becoming one of eerie calm.

 

“Here we go,” Bucky murmured tensely under his breath.

 

For the next fifteen minutes, Ayo and Lexi ran through a no-holds-barred sparring session that tested them both. The Wakandan tried to start with beginner drills, but when Lexi bested her repeatedly, she went all-out, holding nothing back. Ayo’s years of expertise with the staff was on display as she tried to disarm Lexi with every move she could think of. Unfortunately for her, Lexi had just watched her run the recruits through these very drills and knew not to make the same mistakes they had; and with her years of experience practicing other forms of self-defense, she was able to distract and nearly disarm Ayo once or twice using her own tactics.

 

“As eye-opening as this has been,” Okoye said, approaching the mat as Lexi and Ayo circled each other again, looking for an opportunity to attack, “I must call a draw.”

 

Ayo huffed a frustrated laugh, shaking her head. “You’ve seen it done, my ass,” she said to Lexi. “How the hell did you learn this?”

 

“I stood over there and watched you,” Lexi said, pushing a strand of hair out of her face and tilting her head over to where Bucky was standing with Shuri, who looked stunned.

 

“You only watched us for a few minutes,” Ayo protested.

 

Lexi shrugged. “I’m a fast learner.”

 

Okoye pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at Lexi, before a slow smirk took over and she shook her head. She looked at Bucky over her shoulder and waggled her eyebrows a little. “I like her.”

 

“I saw her first,” Bucky said, chuckling and shaking his head.

 

“If she ever gets bored with you, we could almost certainly find a place for her in the Dora Milaje,” Okoye, said teasingly.

 

“It’s tempting,” Lexi said, winking at her. “You do have beautiful armor.”

 

“Seriously?” Bucky said, his hand on his hip. “You just got here and you’re gonna run off and join the Wakandan army?”

 

“Guess you’d better not bore me then,” Lexi retorted.

 

The recruits hooted in laughter as Bucky grinned, shaking his head. “Such a brat,” he said, taking her hand.

 

“What was _that?_ ” Shuri squealed as they as they left the exercise area and headed for the fitness center cafeteria.

 

“Years of study, Princess,” Lexi smiled. “Years of study.”

 

***

 Over the next few weeks, they settled into a new normal. Lexi was awake before Bucky every day, but she didn’t always leave. Sometimes she would get up and make coffee, sometimes she would go outside, and some days she would lay beside Bucky, watching him slowly wake up. Those were his favorite days, because those were the days that she seemed to welcome more physical contact between them; hugs and kisses were accepted and returned happily, and sometimes even initiated. It wasn’t to say that she avoided Bucky on other days, but she seemed a little more skittish and uncertain, as if she was expecting it all to be taken away again. Regardless, Bucky was thrilled that she was there, and he could wait as long as she needed. 

 

She seemed to be acclimating well to life in the village. She started occasionally trading in her boots and fatigues for more comfortable clothing and often helped out around the village with little things. One day early on, when Bucky mentioned needing to get more hay for the goats, Lexi asked him where he’d been getting it. He led her over to a small patch where it had been growing; the area was nearly cleared out. Lexi smirked at him and knelt on the ground.

 

“What are you doing?” he asked, confused.

 

“Just watch,” she said. “I’ve picked up a few new tricks in the last year.” She shook out her hands and then pressed her fingertips into the soil. Taking a deep breath, she shivered slightly, despite the warm sun and mild temperature, and then exhaled slowly.

 

Bucky’s eyes widened as new growth suddenly popped up out of the ground in a patch several feet in diameter. “Holy shit,” he gasped.

 

Lexi laughed a little shakily as she pulled her hands out of the soil and sat back on her heels. “I know, right?” she said breathily, rubbing her hands together.

 

Bucky knelt down next to her and ran his hands over the waist-high straw that now swayed in the gentle breeze. “How the hell did you do that?”

 

Lexi shrugged, still chuckling. “Something I got from my mom, I guess. I can’t just grow anything, anywhere, though—not like she did with the tulips,” she said. “I tried, when I was living in Paris, to grow some during the spring. Didn’t work,” she snorted. “I could only grow things that had already grown there at some point. Plants that had left roots or dormant seeds behind, that kind of thing.”

 

“That’s amazing,” Bucky smiled.

 

“It’s better than killing plants, anyway.” When Bucky looked at her questioningly, she said, “I can do that, too. I really don’t like doing it, though. It feels…strange.”

 

“At heart, you’re a nurturer,” Bucky grinned, leaning close to kiss her.

 

Lexi hummed quietly, a little smile on her face, before nuzzling against him. “It does make me a bit tired, though,” she admitted.

 

“Well, c’mon, then,” he said, getting to his feet and then helping Lexi up. “Let’s go inside so you can rest for a few minutes and get something to eat.”

 

“M’kay,” she murmured, tucking herself under his arm.

 

Once back inside the hut, Bucky led her over to the bed mat and sat her down, slipping her sandals off for her. “Lie down, baby girl,” he whispered, encouraging her to rest.

 

“Stay with me?” Lexi asked, reaching out for him, even as her eyes slid shut.

 

She couldn’t see the grin that stretched across his face, but she certainly felt the mattress dipping next to her as he lay down behind her and cuddled her close. “For as long as you want me.”

 

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed sleepily, hugging his arm and curling her hand around his as she drifted off.

 

***

 

When Lexi’s eyes fluttered open not too much later, she smiled. She was warm and comfortable with Bucky’s arm wrapped around her, and for the first time in a very long time, she felt right, like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She picked up Bucky’s hand and kissed the back of it, huffing a little laugh when he gave her an extra squeeze.

 

“How’re you doin’, doll?” he asked, sounding happy.

 

“’M hungry,” she murmured, turning her head slightly toward him. “Feed me.”

 

Bucky chuckled and kissed under her ear. “What are you in the mood for?”

 

“Surprise me?”

 

“As you wish, my love,” he said, giving her a last kiss before rolling off the bed and walking into the kitchen.

 

***

 

Her comfort level grew, as she spent her days in the village, helping out where she could. She learned how to make several of the native dishes, teaching Bucky how to cook them as well. Spending this time together also helped Lexi get more comfortable with extended physical contact. She would reach for his hand on walks now, she leaned into his hugs more, she easily accepted the little kisses he liked to give her, and she was sleeping better, curled up against him. She was definitely smiling and laughing more, and Bucky would swear that she even shivered once when he kissed the nape of her neck.

 

Mornings seemed to be the hardest part of the day for her, as any nightmares she still had would sometimes follow her into her waking hours. Bucky, who was still talking to a therapist—and had finally told the doctor that Lexi was there—felt sure that her presence was contributing to his overall feelings of wellbeing; his nightmares had become far easier to manage, some of them dwindling away to practically little more than nuisances that he could discard immediately upon waking.

 

So it wasn’t unusual, still, for Lexi to be up and out of bed before Bucky even woke up. He would slowly wake up and know, before opening his eyes, whether she was still there. If she wasn’t in bed, she was normally making tea or getting breakfast started, or even, on one memorable occasion, playing with Gichinga and helping to herd some wayward goats.

 

It was very much _not_ normal, however, to have one of the village children barging into their hut barely after the sun had risen and waking him up by yelling, _“Ingcuka! Ingcuka!_ _Into ephosakeleyo ngeLexi!”_ (“Something is wrong with Lexi!”)

 

Bucky was getting better at recognizing several of the words used around the village on a daily basis, and he definitely recognized when the children used the ‘White Wolf’ nickname to talk to him, but currently the only other thing he understood the little boy saying was Lexi’s name. Thankful that he was, at least, wearing undergarments (he still ran exceedingly warm, and with he and Lexi curled up together every night, they had both started sleeping in little more than underwear and t-shirts; to say that finding out that Lexi had been sleeping in his t-shirts all this time made Bucky giddy would be an understatement), he quicked yanked some loose pants on, tightened the drawstring, and raced out the door, following the little boy to where Bucky could see a small group of children gathered.

 

As he approached, he could see Lexi standing, completely still, with her back to him. “Lexi?” he called out, but she didn’t respond—no sound, no movement, nothing. The children parted to let Bucky through, and he came around to look at her from the front. “Lexi? Are you o—“

 

He stopped and looked at her, watching as silver swirled over her eyes. It was almost like watching liquid mercury flowing back and forth, bright and shiny, covering the entire surface of her eyes, as she stood, motionless, staring off into the distance, or perhaps into nothing at all.

 

He turned to the kids, motioning for them to stay back, as he had no idea what was happening. A few strands of hair blew across her face, and he reached out automatically to tuck it behind her ear; as soon as he touched her skin, though, she grabbed his wrist with far more strength than she naturally possessed. He gasped, more in surprise than in pain, but it was enough to make her blink.

 

With that one blink, she snapped out of whatever trance she was under, looking at Bucky with clear blue eyes and no small amount of surprise. “Bucky!” she exclaimed, equally startled and confused. It was then that she noticed the grip she had on his wrist and released him, horrified by the purpling marks she could see forming. “Oh, my god!” she cried out, reaching for him again immediately. “Did I do that?”

 

“It’s okay, baby girl,” Bucky assured her, letting her examine his arm. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

“I hurt you,” she whispered, clearly upset. “I’m so sorry.”

 

“It’s nothing, Lex, I promise,” he assured her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. “What happened to you? What was that?”

 

Lexi hugged him tight, swallowing hard. “My mother wanted to talk to me, to tell me something.” When Bucky squeezed her even more, she said, “Wait, let me—“

 

She turned in his embrace, still staying snug against him, and taking his injured arm in her hands. She winced at the black-and-blue bruises she saw there, but then she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, and soon she felt the warmth pooling in her hands. She opened her eyes and saw the golden glow between her palms; she pushed it into Bucky’s arm and the bruises immediately disappeared.

 

The children all _ooohed_ collectively, and it was only then that Lexi realized they were there, her eyes darting over to where they stood. “Oh, shit,” she whispered. She hugged Bucky’s arm around herself, and he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

 

“Don’t worry, love. They’ve seen some pretty unusual things here.” He looked over at the kids gathered together and smiled. “Everything’s okay! Lexi’s fine!”

 

The children nodded, but a couple of them still looked unsure, so Lexi said, _“_ _Ndilungile, ndithembisa. Ndiyaxolisa xa ndikwesaba._ _”_ (“I’m okay, I promise. I’m sorry if I scared you.”)

 

_“_ _Ingaba ibiyintoni lonto?_ _”_ (“What was that?”) one of the children asked.

 

Lexi shrugged, as if she wasn’t exactly sure—which she wasn’t really. Her mother had never come to her so suddenly and forcefully before. It had been a little unnerving, to tell the truth. _“_ _Umama wayedinga ukuthetha nam,_ _”_ (“My mother needed to talk to me,”) she told them. _“_ _Ukhetheke kakhulu,_ _”_ (“She’s very special,”) she chuckled, thinking suddenly of Steve.

 

One of the children gasped, a big smile on her face. _“_ _Ngaba uthanda iScarlet Witch?_ _”_ (“Are you like Scarlet Witch?”)

 

_“_ _Uyazi iWanda?_ _”_ (“Do you know Wanda?”) Lexi asked, grinning.

 

The little girl nodded enthusiastically and said, _“_ _Uyamthanda kakhulu kwiAvengers._ _”_ (“She’s my favorite of the Avengers.”)

 

_“_ _Ungumuntu omhle kakhulu._ _”_ (“She’s a very nice person,”) Lexi said, _“_ _kodwa andinjalo naye._ _Andizi into endiyiyo, ngokwenene._ _”_ (“but I’m not like her. I don’t know what I am, really.”)

 

_“_ _Kulungile, Lexi,_ _”_ (“That’s okay, Lexi,”) one of the older children said. _“_ _Siyakuthanda nawe._ _”_ (“We like you, too.”)

 

Lexi smiled tiredly in response. _“Enkosi,”_ she whispered. Seeing that she really was okay, the small group waved goodbye and headed back to the village to do their chores for the morning, and Lexi slumped against Bucky’s chest, catching her breath.

 

“Are you okay? I mean, we told them you are, but are you really?” Bucky asked, turning her back around to face him with a worried look.

 

“Yeah,” she nodded, exhaling, “just tired. That was…really unexpected.”

 

“What happened? What did your mother want?”

 

Lexi looked up at him. “Thor was here.”

 

***

 

They sat at their little table, drinking some of the red hibiscus tea that Tadeo’s grandmother had given them. “My mother came to tell me that Thor was here, on Earth,” Lexi said. “I tried to find him, but he was moving too quickly.” She shook her head in confusion. “I know he was in Manhattan, very close to Central Park, and that he wasn’t alone.”

 

Bucky sat with her, his hand wrapped around the warm mug in front of them. “Do you think he went to The Tower?” he asked.

 

“No,” she said with certainty. “He didn’t go far at first, a little to the south—like Greenwich Village, maybe? Somewhere close,” Lexi said, her head tilted a bit to the side. “But then he was immediately somewhere far to the north, and he wasn’t traveling by Bifrost. I don’t know how he did it, but there was no way I could catch up.” She took a sip of tea. “And then he was gone. Right before you touched me, I could feel that he was gone.”

 

“Maybe whoever is with him is helping him,” Bucky proposed.

 

“Maybe,” Lexi frowned. “Regardless, as soon as I was close, I could feel him—his presence, I mean. That familiar feeling I always had around him.” She looked at Bucky with a very serious expression. “I just know something has happened. Something important.” She was thoughtful for a few seconds, when suddenly her eyes widened and she jumped up. “I need my phone.”

 

“What? Why?” Bucky asked as she darted across the room to grab her pack from under the bed mat. She dug through it under she found her satellite phone.

 

“Dammit! It’s dead,” she muttered, going through the bag again and coming up with a charging cord. “I need to charge this.” She started looking around for an outlet.

 

“If it’s a phone you need, use mine,” Bucky said, taking his off the dresser and handing it to her. “Who do you need to call?”

 

“No one, yet,” Lexi said, taking his phone and opening the search engine. “There’s over one-and-a-half million people in Manhattan. If Thor was there, there’ll be pictures or videos all over social media.” Less than a minute later, she smiled. “Yup, here it is.”

 

She turned the phone so Bucky could see as well, and together they watched a video of two girls asking Thor for a picture in front of the wreckage of a demolished building on a street corner in New York City. “Who’s that guy?” Bucky asked, pointing to someone standing near Thor wearing all black.

 

“Holy shit,” Lexi exhaled, watching the dark-haired man in the video rolling his eyes so hard she was surprised he didn’t break something. “Thor was right. Loki’s alive.”

 

The video continued as the girls walked away, and suddenly a bright gold ring was swirling around Loki’s feet. “Uh,” Bucky said as they watched Loki seemingly falling into the sidewalk through the gold ring, leaving Thor standing there and poking the concrete with an umbrella. “Well, that would explain how they were moving around so quickly,” he murmured as the video came to an end with Thor picking something up and quickly walking away.

 

“What the hell even was that?” Lexi asked, and Bucky wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or just thinking out loud.

 

“Whatever it was, I don’t think Loki was doing it,” Bucky said, watching the video again. “He seemed surprised by it.” He looked over at Lexi. “Do you think we should call Steve? He would want to know that Thor was here, even if he’s already gone.”

 

“Yeah,” Lexi said absently, lightly chewing her bottom lip as her thoughts raced.

 

“Is it okay if I tell him that you’re staying with me, here in the village? I know he’s going to ask,” Bucky said, his thumb hovering over Steve’s contact information.

 

“Sure,” she replied, nodding. A little crease sat, unmoving, between her eyebrows, indicative of her concern over the situation.

 

Bucky set his phone on the bed. “Hey, baby girl,” he whispered, moving right into her space and tipping her chin up with his index finger. She brought her gaze up to meet his, and he smiled at her, stunned as always when he looked at her big blue eyes. “Thor’s okay,” he assured her. “I know you haven’t seen him in a long time and you’re worried, but he’s fine.”

 

Lexi smiled in return. “I know,” she replied. Suddenly, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him softly. “Go call Steve,” she murmured against his lips as his arm started to slide around her waist. “I’m going to start breakfast.” With another quick kiss, she stepped back, out of his grasp and walked backward into the kitchen, watching him with a crooked little smile.

 

Bucky just grinned at her, and then he picked up his phone and pressed the ‘Call’ button. His friend picked up on the second ring.

 

“Buck? Is that you?” Steve asked, and they both smiled at the sound of his voice.

 

“Yeah, punk, it’s me,” he chuckled. “How’s it going?”

 

“Things are going as planned here, so we’re doing fine,” the blond replied. “Is everything okay there? Is Lexi alright?”

 

She couldn’t stop the smile that stretched from ear-to-ear when Bucky answered. “Lexi’s here, with me,” he said, “and she’s amazing.”

 

Bucky spoke to Steve for several minutes, sharing the news of Thor’s brief but odd visit to New York. After getting Lexi’s permission, he told Steve about what had happened with her that morning. “Hell, the whole village knows by now,” Lexi mumbled under her breath as she added ingredients to a bowl, “there’s no reason why Steve and the others can’t know my mom paid me a visit.”

 

Bucky came up behind her as she stirred batter in a mixing bowl and handed her his phone. “Steve wants to say hi,” he said softly, wrapping his arm around her waist as soon as she took the phone out of his hand.

 

“Oh,” she said quietly, holding the phone to her ear as she continued to stir. Bucky snuggled up behind her and nuzzled against the other side of her neck, so she tilted her head slightly to the side. She could feel him smiling against her skin as she said, “Um, hello?”

 

“Lexi,” Steve exhaled, and she could hear the absolute and utter relief in his voice at hearing hers.

 

“Hi, Steve,” she smiled. She set the spoon down and used her free hand to reach behind her, over her shoulder, to run her fingers into Bucky’s hair. He sighed contentedly, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt _right._ “I’ve missed you, too.”

 

***

 

By the time Lexi hung up, she had spoken to Steve, Sam, _and_ Nat, all of them telling her how glad they were that she was safe and well. Steve also passed on the message from Tony (“We had to let him know you were okay, Lex. He’s been driving himself crazy trying to find you.”) It was Nat, though, calling her _‘sestrichka’_ and saying she was going to kick her ass the next time she saw her for worrying them so bad, that nearly had Lexi in tears, realizing how much she really did miss her friends.

 

Bucky, seeing the moisture welling up in her eyes, took the phone out of her hand and growled, “Okay, who the hell is making Lexi cry?”

 

“Relax, _Yasha,_ ” Nat said soothingly, “I’m just telling my little sister how much I’m looking forward to seeing her.”

 

It wasn’t until Lexi was hugging him, though, smiling even as her damp lashes sparkled, that he unclenched his shoulders and exhaled, handing the phone back to Lexi so that he could hold her again.

 

So it was that they found themselves at the cooktop, Lexi flipping pancakes, sniffling and laughing while talking on the phone, Bucky holding her close and swaying slowly to a song that he was humming softly under his breath, that she knew she was finally _home._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are moving in a positive direction--yay! The next chapter is going to see some steaminess...or is it? XD
> 
> Thanks to you all for the kind words and encouragement. I'm feeling better than I did a few weeks ago. We're trying a new medication that is supposed to boost my seratonin production and help even me out, so fingers crossed that it works (because the holidays are coming up AGAIN, which means family visits, which uugghhhhhh).
> 
> Seriously, this community is my lifeline. You are all so positive and supportive and it has made all the difference it the world. Love and hugs and kisses to everyone!
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	12. Oops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Hill and Woolsey Fires are both 100% contained, hallelujah. Fingers crossed that we're done with our wildfires for the season.
> 
> So how about we add a little heat to this story? ;)

 

 

Lexi opened her eyes slowly, consciousness coming to her in bits and pieces. The solid warmth of Bucky’s body was at her back, and she pressed into him, smiling to herself when his arm tightened around her, pulling her snugly into his chest. She sighed drowsily, contentedly, enjoying the way their legs tangled together; the sparse, short hair on his thighs scratching lightly at the soft skin of hers, bringing back memories of so many mornings together waking up just like this. It was so familiar, and felt so right, _so good,_ that her back arched slightly—

 

Lexi’s eyes popped open, becoming acutely aware of a certain part of Bucky’s anatomy that was pressing firmly against her backside. It wasn’t the fact that he was hard that surprised her; that wasn’t something he could control. It wasn’t even that her heart had started beating faster upon noticing that they were so intimately entwined. It was the heat that had flooded so suddenly through her lower abdomen, clenching her muscles and hitching her breath, which caused her to freeze. It had been so long since she had felt like this; like she _wanted_. And that scared her.

 

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Bucky asked sleepily. He’d felt her stiffen suddenly, and he realized then that he was curled all around her, pressed tightly against her— _all_ of him was pressed tightly against her. He began to loosen his hold from around her torso, started to angle his hips away, to pull back—

 

“Don’t,” Lexi breathed, sounding small and unsure, as she clutched his arm to her. “Please don’t go.”

 

“What’s wrong, baby girl?” he asked, concerned. He cuddled her close, nuzzling into the nape of her neck, but still trying to move his hips away to stop nudging her with his erection.

 

“I—I just—I don’t—“ she stammered, not even knowing where to start. She wanted him, but she was scared of the fact that she wanted him. She had forcefully shut down that part of herself for so long, and now that it was waking up again, she felt lost and confused. She took a shaky breath and whispered, “I don’t think I know how to do this anymore.”

 

“Do what?” Bucky asked her kindly. “We’re just laying here together, angel face, that’s all. That’s nothin’ to be scared of.”

 

“But I—I feel—“ Lexi exhaled. “I want—I want to, but—“ her breath caught, and she was unable to continue.

 

“Hey, hey, sweetheart,” he murmured soothingly, “there’s no rush here. We have all the time in the world—the rest of our lives.” Cupping his hand around her shoulder, he asked, “Can you turn over, baby? I want you to look at me.”

 

Lexi rolled over slowly and somewhat unwillingly. She had a difficult time meeting Bucky’s gaze, instead choosing to look at his shirt-covered chest, flattening her left hand over his heart and feeling the strong and steady beat of it against her palm.

 

“Eyes up here, little love,” he teased gently, lifting her chin with a single finger. “C’mon, sugar, let me see those pretty blues.” Despite her discomfort, the corners of her lips curled upward. When she finally lifted her eyes up to his, he smiled softly.

 

“Everything happens at your pace, Lex,” Bucky told her. “Whatever does or doesn’t happen, it’s your call.”

 

“What about you?” she asked quietly. “It can’t be very comfortable for you.”

 

“I have one perfectly functional right hand,” he said, “so don’t you worry about me.”

 

Even though she knew he was trying to be serious, she couldn’t help but huff a laugh—and blush.

 

“Oh, there they are,” Bucky sighed happily, grinning from ear-to-ear as he raised his hand to lightly trail his fingertips down her jawline. “There are the gorgeous pink cheeks I’ve been missing.”

 

“I can’t even remember the last time I blushed about anything,” Lexi admitted, shaking her head.

 

“Savin’ it all for me, were ya?” he joked, leaning forward to kiss the color high on her cheekbone. “Just as beautiful as I remember,” he murmured, gently nuzzling the side of her head.

 

She inhaled slowly, taking in his warm scent; she leaned into his touch, needing more.

 

“Bucky,” she whispered, her hand curling into the soft fabric of the t-shirt he wore, holding him close.

 

“Yeah, love?” he replied softly, turning his face toward hers. They were so close, barely an inch inch separating them.

 

“Can I kiss you?” she asked, her voice barely audible even in the still quiet of the morning.

 

Bucky grinned slowly, cupping her cheek in his big, warm hand. “You can kiss me any time you want to, sweetheart,” he answered, rubbing his thumb slowly over her soft skin.

 

Lexi licked her lips—an unconscious gesture on her part, but it drew his gaze and caused an equal reaction; the tip of his tongue darted out, touching his upper lip. She tipped her chin up, just barely brushing her lips against his, light as butterfly wings. He held his breath, allowing her to lead.

 

He could feel her trembling; the shakiness of her breathing, the death grip she had on his shirt, the tension in every muscle in her body. “It’s okay, baby girl,” he whispered. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

 

Her breath hitched just a bit, and then she was leaning into him, kissing him fully on the lips for the first time in so long that he almost became dizzy with it. She whimpered, a fleeting, desperate sound, and released his shirt, sliding her hand up his chest, over his shoulder and up into his hair, curling her fist into the long, soft waves, holding him to her. Bucky’s hand slid down to Lexi’s lower back, pressing her lightly against him.

 

At the first delicate touch of Lexi’s tongue to his bottom lip, he moaned. Emboldened by the sound, she tilted her head slightly to delve deeper; Bucky let her hold him in place as he welcomed her affections, returning them as much as he was able. When she pulled back the tiniest bit to breathe, he murmured, “I’ve always loved kissing you.”

 

He heard the barest intake of breath just before her palm was in the center of his chest again, pushing him; being somewhat off-balance, he rolled onto his back. “Baby? What’s wrong?” he asked, looking at her in confusion as she sat up and turned to him.

 

A tiny noise, almost like the growl of a kitten, escaped her throat, and suddenly she was on him, straddling his thighs and kissing him again as if her life depended on it. Both of her hands were buried in his hair, holding tight; Bucky’s arm circled her torso, pulling her down snugly against his chest.

 

It became apparent very quickly that his unconscious morning arousal had never waned; the hard ridge of his erection pressed against her soft flesh, the two of them separated only by a few layers of thin fabric. Lexi gasped as she rolled her hips down over him. “God, Bucky, I’ve missed you so much.”

 

Moving his hand to her lower back again, he pushed down gently at the same time he carefully thrust his pelvis up. “ _Fuck,_ I’ve missed you, too, baby girl,” he groaned, his eyes rolling back in pleasure.

 

For perhaps another minute more, they kissed; sloppily, wetly, sharing the warm air between them as they moved together, faster and harder. Lexi could feel the energy gathering and dancing over her skin, crackling like a live wire, sparking white-hot and ready to ignite. Suddenly, she gasped loudly and threw herself off of him, saying, “Oh, oh god, stop! Stop!”

 

Startled into complete stillness, Bucky lay there, his hand in the air, eyes open wide, panting, “We’re stopped, honey, we’re stopped. It’s okay.” He pushed himself up into a sitting position and reached for Lexi, who was sitting across the mattress, curled up, her knees tucked in tight to her chest, and her hands covering her face. “You’re okay, Lex, everything’s fine, I promise.”

 

“Oh, my god, what were we thinking?” she whispered in anguished disbelief.

 

Bucky shook his head, bewildered. “I meant what I said, sweetheart; everything at your pace. No pressure. I hope you don’t feel like I was pushing—“

 

“No, no, not that!” Lexi hissed, taking her hands from her face; she was still breathing hard and her hands were shaking. “I wanted that, wanted _you_ —I _do_ want you! But we can’t, not _here!_ ”

 

“I—I’m not—“ Bucky hesitated, his brain still a bit muddled.

 

“Bucky,” Lexi said, looking at him intently.

 

“Yeah, love?” he asked softly.

 

“What are the chances that this little house, as sweet as it is, has a reinforced roof and walls?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

 

“What does— _oh,_ ” he breathed, his eyes getting big.

 

“Exactly,” Lexi sighed. “Do you have _any_ idea how long it’s been since—“ she broke off, covering her face again and groaning.

 

He blinked several times in rapid succession as understanding settled in. “Not once?” he asked, his eyes wide.

 

She said nothing, merely shaking her head as she continued to hide her face.

 

They were both quiet for a few moments, before Bucky whispered, “Shit, we would have leveled the neighborhood,” followed by a very ill-timed huff of laughter.

 

Lexi’s head flew up, her eyes narrowed. “You think this is _funny?_ ”

 

“No, no, I swear,” he said quickly, holding his hand up in self-defense. “I know it’s not, baby girl, I’m sorry—“

 

“I feel like I’m about to explode and you think _this is funny?_ ” she hissed. “We could have destroyed this entire village and how the hell would we have explained that? _‘Sorry, it’s been a really long time since I had sex, I didn’t mean to come so hard that all of your homes were knocked down—my bad! Here, let me grow some more flowers for you!’_ Pretty sure no amount of red hibiscus plants would be enough to forgive that!”

 

For several long, strained seconds, they stared at each other; Bucky, unmoving, his lips clamped shut, and Lexi, eyes wild and chest heaving.

 

Suddenly, Lexi fell backwards and just lay there, across the bed mat, covering her eyes with one hand. “Jesus Christ,” she muttered, before bursting out in laughter.

 

He watched her for a few seconds, becoming increasingly concerned for her sanity. “Um, you okay there, sweetheart?” Bucky asked with some trepidation.

 

“No,” she giggled, rolling her head back and forth. “I’m so horny that it’s reached almost critical levels, and I can’t do anything about it or half the damn country might end up homeless.”

 

Bucky’s head fell forward as a chuckle escaped him. “I don’t think it would be quite that bad,” he said, rolling forward and pushing himself up on his knees. He leaned over where Lexi lay sprawled out, laughing. “I’ll see what I can do.”

 

“About what?” Lexi asked, looking up at him with her eyebrows raised.

 

“Shuri mentioned moving us into a bigger home,” Bucky said, smirking. “I didn’t think it was necessary before, but now…” he shrugged, a little sheepishly, “maybe we can get one with a little bit of space around it.”

 

“And reinforced architecture?” Lexi smiled.

 

“And reinforced architecture,” he grinned, nodding.

 

“How long do you think something like that would take?” Lexi asked, frowning.

 

“You’d be surprised how quickly things can get put together here,” Bucky said, bending down to kiss her softly. “Feeling better?”

 

She exhaled forcefully and closed her eyes. “I guess.”

 

“Laughter is the best medicine,” he quipped, ducking when Lexi swung a pillow at his head. “In the meantime,” he said slowly, waiting for her to look up at him. When she did, he gave her a lopsided smile and said, “We might be able to find a nice, quiet spot far away from the _boma_ to be alone for a while.”

 

“Yeah?” she asked, sounding hopeful.

 

“Yeah. I know a place.”

 

***

 

“Sooo,” Bucky began, unexpectedly finding himself to be a little bashful at what was quickly becoming a necessary, though no-less-awkward, discussion. Lexi stood next to him, staring at her own feet, and a sideways glance showed that her cheeks were definitely pink. As brilliant as Shuri was, and for as much as she understood the workings of the universe and everything contained therein, she was only seventeen, and Bucky saw her as a little sister, and this was not something he would _ever_ want to discuss with his sister.

 

Shuri looked at them both from her side of the worktable, frowning. “What is wrong with you two? You are acting very strangely,” she said. She narrowed her eyes at them and asked, “Are—are you _blushing?_ ”

 

“We, uh, we need to talk to you about something,” Bucky said softly, even though they were the only ones in the lab. When Shuri waited for him to continue, he said, “You mentioned, when Lexi came to stay, about a bigger home.”

 

“Yes,” Shuri nodded, a smile breaking free. “Are you already getting in each other’s way? I thought it would have taken a little longer than this, to be honest.”

 

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Bucky said. He fidgeted a bit until Lexi took his hand and held it still.

 

“There’s an issue we hadn’t considered,” she said, still blushing.

 

“What is that?” she asked, smiling but confused.

 

“When we—when _I_ get, uh, happy,” Lexi began, her cheeks on fire, “there’s a—um, there’s a kind of energy release—“

 

“Really? How fascinating!” Shuri exclaimed, looking at her. “This happens when you’re happy? What does—“

 

“It happens when I’m _really happy,_ ” Lexi said, emphasizing the words as much as possible to get her point across. Bucky cleared his throat, reddening even more.

 

Shuri frowned at first in bewilderment, then looked at their expressions, her jaw suddenly dropping slightly. _“Oh,”_ she exhaled, before an evil smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She pointed between them, nodding slowly. “When you two are—“

 

“Yes!” Bucky said, holding up his hand. “Please don’t say it.”

 

“What is the problem, Sergeant?” she asked, all wide-eyed and fake innocence. “This is perfectly natural—“

 

“And you’re like a little sister to me, so can we not? Please?”

 

Shuri decided to take pity on them, chuckling as they both turned inside out from mortification. “Of course,” she laughed. “I’d hate for either of you to be uncomfortable.”

 

“You are such a—“

 

“Ah-ah-ah, Sergeant,” she teased, waving her finger at him. “No insulting the genius that will be designing your new home.”

 

“—sweet, wonderful, and lovely person,” Bucky said, grinning.

 

“Don’t forget brilliant.”

 

“I never do, Princess.”

 

They managed to get through the next two hours as Shuri came up with a plan for their new home without too much embarrassment; Lexi described the ‘energy release’ as generally as she could, mentioning that Tony had used energy-absorbing materials and reinforced architecture to minimize damage to the rest of the facility. “It can be, uh, a little violent,” Lexi mumbled, looking everywhere except Shuri.

 

To say that Shuri’s eyes widened would be an understatement. “Well,” she said, “that is certainly something we’ll take into consideration.” She pushed a few things around on her holographic screen, showing the couple her ideas. “There is a nice, open area near the _boma,_ ” she said, waggling her eyebrows. “It is close, but not _too_ close, if you know what I mean. Once we have the plans done, fabrication should only take a few days. Construction can be done in a matter of hours.”

 

At Lexi’s look of disbelief, Shuri grinned. “Trust me. We know what we’re doing.”

 

***

 

A couple of days later, they were watching T’Challa address a Special Session of the United Nations in the newly reopened Headquarters in Vienna. They watched on the screen of Bucky’s phone as they had lunch, the device propped up on the table. Vienna was only an hour behind Wakanda, but they’d had plenty of time to finish their morning chores before the session began.

 

“I’m guessing that’s Nakia,” Lexi said, pointing to a gorgeous woman in a yellow dress standing to T’Challa’s left on the dais. The two were flanked on either side by Okoye and Ayo, who, despite also wearing stylish black dresses, still looked incredibly intimidating.

 

“Must be,” Bucky nodded, taking a bite of his flatbread-wrapped roasted beef and vegetables.

 

“She’s beautiful. They look really good together,” Lexi mused, and Bucky shrugged and made a noncommittal sound next to her, clearly far more interested in what T’Challa was about to say than what anyone looked like. Lexi smirked at him, shaking her head. _Men._

 

Once T’Challa was introduced and everyone had settled into their seats, the King began to speak:

 

_“My name is King T’Challa, son of King T’Chaka. I am the sovereign ruler of the nation of Wakanda. For the first time in our history, we will be sharing our knowledge and resources with the outside world. Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We cannot. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we, as brothers and sisters on this Earth, should treat each other._

_“Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth; more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges while the foolish build barriers._

_“We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one, single tribe.”_

 

A representative of one of the other nations spoke up then, saying, _“With all due respect, King T’Challa, what can a nation of farmers have to offer the rest of the world?”_

 

Lexi and Bucky snorted simultaneously, watching the four people addressing the room smile, secure in the knowledge that they were about to alter the course of human history.

 

“That guy is going to feel pretty foolish in a second,” Lexi said.

 

“Typical of those guys,” Bucky grumbled, shaking his head in disgust. “They think they know more than everybody else and look down their noses at everyone who’s not European.”

 

“Well, Wakanda has done an excellent job of keeping itself hidden from the rest of the world,” Lexi said. “They wanted everyone to think they were farmers and shepherds, so that’s all these people have had to go on.”

 

“He’s still arrogant,” Bucky mumbled, eating more of his lunch.

 

“True, and it’s about to bite him in the ass,” Lexi agreed.

 

They watched as T’Challa, Nakia, Okoye, and Ayo all brought their kimoyo bead bracelets together, projecting a massive three-dimensional picture. T’Challa told the assembly of the medical and scientific technology that had been developed by the Wakanda Design Group as the presentation played out above their heads.

 

The entire room was silent, their rapt attention fully on the demonstration before them; stunned expressions filled the room as the camera panned back and forth. One man that Lexi noticed didn’t seem surprised by what he was seeing, though; on the contrary, he looked rather amused by the shock on the faces of everyone around him. “Who is that?” Lexi asked, pointing at the man as the camera swept past him again.

 

“That would be Everett Ross,” Bucky said flatly. “American. CIA.” When Lexi looked at him with her eyebrows raised in surprise, he explained. “After Bucharest, he was the guy at Interpol that tried to have me locked away in a dark hole, never to be seen again.”

 

The change in Lexi was immediate; her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed. Bucky reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. “That didn’t happen, clearly.”

 

“I’m wondering why he seems so calm and nonchalant while everyone around him is picking their jaws up off the floor,” Lexi said. “Almost like he’s familiar with Wakandan tech.”

 

“He might be,” Bucky half-shrugged. “T’Challa spoke to him in Berlin—maybe they kept in contact?”

 

“If he’s CIA, I want to know what’s going on,” she replied. “I want to make sure T’Challa’s not talking to him about you.”

 

“Or you?” Bucky asked.

 

Lexi scoffed. “I don’t care about me. I can hide.” When Bucky frowned at her response, she rolled her eyes a bit. “I mean, yes, I care—but nobody’s going to be able to find me if I want to disappear. You’re the one with the most to lose.”

 

“You are the only thing I’m worried about losing, angel face,” he said. “We’ll talk to T’Challa when they get back, make sure there’s nothing going on with him and Everett Ross that involves us. Okay?” When Lexi still looked unsure, Bucky pressed on. “If he wanted to turn me over to the CIA, he had ample time while I was in cryo. It would have been easy.”

 

Lexi had to admit that was true. “I can’t help but worry,” Lexi said, “and not just because his last name is Ross.”

 

Bucky huffed a laugh, smiling at her. “I’m sure it’s nothing to concern ourselves about.”

 

“I hope not,” Lexi sighed, leaning into his chest. “I can’t stand the thought of losing you again.”

 

They turned back to the little screen, both of them chuckling as T’Challa finished his speech and the entire room clamored to their feet.

 

***

 

A couple days later, they were wandering through the countryside, seemingly with no real destination in mind—though Bucky had a little smile on his face that wouldn’t quit—when they came upon a large stone outcropping that overlooked a shallow valley.

 

Shuri had accompanied T’Challa to Vienna for the U.N. Special Session, though she was staying well out of the spotlight. As head of the Wakanda Design Group and part of the royal family, she was expected to be on-hand should anyone want to discuss technology beyond what T’Challa could communicate. Before leaving, she had assured them that the parts for their new home were being fabricated on schedule and would be completed shortly after they returned from Europe. “This time next week, we will be assembling your new home,” she smiled. “In the meantime, try not to break anything.”

 

So they were distracting themselves as best they could, and that afternoon, Bucky had suggested going for a nice, long walk. “This is beautiful,” Lexi smiled, her eyes traveling over the vista that stretched for miles to the west. The gold-and-green-covered hills flowed and undulated off into the horizon, bunches of trees and rocks dotted here and there. The breeze that meandered through sent a ripple across the grasses that covered the valley, causing the colors to shift back and forth.

 

Lexi leaned back against a boulder, its rounded surface worn smooth over thousands of years of wind and rain. The whole area was shaded by a large tree; the full, leafy branches swayed gently above them. Bucky joined her, relaxing in the shade. He reached for her hand, twining their fingers together; she squeezed his hand gently.

 

“It is,” Bucky agreed, smiling as he looked at the view. “Not as beautiful as you, though,” he grinned, giving her a sideways look.

 

“So smooth,” she laughed, and Bucky chuckled as well, his cheeks turning pink. “Nice to see you haven’t lost your charm.”

 

“I’m out of practice,” he replied, shaking his head self-deprecatingly. “I’ve had no one to sweet-talk.”

 

“No?” Lexi asked teasingly. “No wooing of the village grandmothers?”

 

Even though he knew she was kidding, Bucky answered her seriously. “No desire to woo anyone but you, baby girl, not ever.” When she met his eyes and saw that he wasn’t joking anymore, she swallowed nervously. “How about you?” he asked quietly, hating that he felt he should ask. She’d been on her own for more than a year, after all; he wouldn’t blame her if she’d needed physical comfort at some point.

 

To his shame, he felt relief when she shook her head. “No,” she replied. “No wooing, or being wooed, or anything like that since our last time together.” She laughed a little. “I almost shot a man in Greece because he followed me to my hotel room.”

 

“Really?” he responded, a surprised chuckle escaping.

 

“Really,” Lexi nodded. “I used your SIG P226. Scared the bejeezus out of him. I don’t think he literally peed his pants, but he took off running like he had somewhere very important to be.”

 

Bucky nodded, smiling. “That’s my girl,” he murmured.

 

“Well,” she tilted her head a little to the side, “that wasn’t a great night. I, uh, I ended up destroying the hotel. Most of it, anyway.”

 

“Athens?” Bucky asked, remembering what Steve had told him.

 

Lexi nodded slowly, biting her lip as she thought. “Yeah,” she dragged out the word a bit. “That was the night I visited you and Steve was waiting for me.” She huffed an embarrassed sounding laugh. “Not my finest moment.”

 

“That’s my fault, baby doll. I never should have gone under without talking to my girl.”

 

She was quiet for a few moments before asking softly, “So I’m still your girl?”

 

Bucky turned to face her, slowly stepping into her space. He placed her hand on his right hip, her other hand settling on his left hip reflexively; looking down at her, he tipped her chin up with his finger. “Always my girl,” he whispered, leaning down to brush their lips together.

 

“And you’re my guy?” Lexi asked, sounding so vulnerable, so uncertain, that Bucky pulled back a few inches to look at her.

 

He cupped her face in his hand, his thumb stroking softly over her cheekbone. “All and only yours, baby girl, forever.”

 

“I love you,” she said, her fingers curling into the fabric of his _kanga,_ tugging him closer. He stepped between her feet as her hands slid around to his lower back.

 

He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her firmly for several seconds before whispering, “I love you, too, angel face _._ More’n anything.” He slid his hand back, into her hair, and held her close as they kissed, slowly and deeply; her arms wrapped tightly around him, her fingers occasionally curling, digging into the muscles of his back. He moaned softly, his blunt fingernails scratching lightly at her scalp, as she pulled him in even harder against her.

 

Lexi whimpered, her knee sliding against the outside of his right leg. The short wrap skirt she wore rode up slightly over her thigh, as the kiss increased in heat and intensity. Soon her leg was curled around his, and he leaned his thigh against her, pinning her to the large boulder behind her. “Bucky,” she gasped, her head dropping back in his hand.

 

“Yeah, sweetness?” he asked, sucking wet kisses along her jaw and down her throat. “What do you need, baby doll? Let me give it to you.”

 

“I want you to touch me,” she answered shakily. “It’s just—I haven’t—it’s been a really long time,” she swallowed, exhaling nervously.

 

“I’ll give you anything, love, you just need to tell me.”

 

“Please touch me,” she whispered, her lower lip trembling. “I need you to make me yours again.”

 

“You’re already mine,” he responded, “but if that’s what you want, honey, I’ll touch you all over. Soft and slow.”

 

He trailed his fingers down her neck and across her collarbones, over her shoulder and down to her elbow, then back up, leaving goose bumps behind. “My beautiful girl,” he murmured between kisses, “tell me if there’s anything you don’t want me to do, okay?”

 

“Okay,” she nodded, her voice rough. He could feel that she was breathing faster and could see her pupils expanding, her cheeks getting pinker.

 

He let his fingers drift down to the neckline of the strappy tank top she was wearing, his touch grazing over the soft skin at the top of her breasts as he followed the curve of the fabric, kissing her softly all the while. When he did that several times, back and forth, and she voiced no objections, he dropped his hand down to her left breast and massaged it carefully.

 

Lexi moaned into his mouth, her right hand sliding up his chest and into his hair, her left hand squeezing his bicep.

 

“Does that feel nice, darlin’?” he asked huskily, dropping his head to whisper against her throat, thrumming his thumb over her stiff nipple.

 

_“Yes,”_ she sighed, “feels so good.” Her hips rolled against his thigh and she shivered in pleasure.

 

“D’ya want more? Want me to make you come, sugar?” he asked softly in her ear, letting his hand trail slightly lower, onto her abdomen, the backs of his fingers teasing her waist just above her skirt.

 

“Oh, fuck, _please,_ Bucky,” she moaned, her head falling forward to rest on his sternum as if she lacked the strength to hold it up.

 

Bucky growled took a step back, startling Lexi slightly, before he suddenly spun her around and pulled her back against his body, his arm holding her snugly to him. “Is this alright?” he asked, lightly nipping her left shoulder. “Love having you so close.” For emphasis, he pressed her back while pushing his hips forward, his erection dragging over the curve of her ass.

 

Lexi reached her left hand up and behind her, gripping the nape of Bucky’s neck, then she tipped her head back, nipping his earlobe. “You feel so good,” she whispered, nuzzling into his throat and inhaling deeply. “I’ve missed this.”

 

“I have, too, baby girl,” he replied, squeezing her tenderly. He started kissing her throat while his hand slid just under the hem of her shirt to tickle the pale golden flesh. “You’re so soft, so warm.”

 

Lexi leaned back into his embrace, letting the bulk of him surround her. This was where she felt truly safe and protected, like she could let down her guard and not think about anything except how good he was making her feel. She sighed and melted into him, resting her right hand on his forearm while she curled the fingers of her left hand into his hair and gently tugged.

 

“There ya go, _kotenok,_ ” Bucky rumbled from deep in his chest, his hand spreading out across her lower abdomen. He began to lightly caress over her clothes, slowly working his way south, before making a quick detour to Lexi’s right hip. A little pull, a little wriggling of his fingers, and her skirt unwrapped and fell away, leaving her in nothing but her tank top and a pair of black bikini panties.

 

Lexi gasped, surprised, and her eyes flew open, but Bucky held her fast with his arm. “It’s okay, baby, there’s no one around for miles. We can make all the noise we want, ain’t no one gonna hear us,” he assured her. He then reached between them and undid his belt, tossing it aside, followed by the _kanga_ he wore. “There, now we’re both in our skivvies,” he grinned, snuggling up behind her again. The material of the form-fitting, sleeveless shirt he wore was soft against the skin of her upper back and shoulders; his briefs strained to contain him, the front tented significantly and prodding her lower back.

 

“Maybe warn me next time,” Lexi chuckled, shivering, though not from the cold; Bucky was always warm, generating enough heat to keep her toasty on even the coldest of nights.

 

“How ‘bout if I tell ya exactly what I’m gonna do to ya? Would ya like that?” he growled softly in her ear, sliding his hand back across her stomach to her left hip and pressing up against her back. He slipped his right knee in between her thighs, nudging them further apart. “Or maybe you wanna tell me what to do, huh, doll? I’m real good at following orders.”

 

“Fuck,” Lexi gasped, feeling his arousal. Her panties were already damp, yet she couldn’t stop herself from being a smart ass. “Pretty sure you’re shit at following orders, Barnes,” she laughed breathlessly, reaching back to grab his hair again and giving it a decisive yank.

 

_“Uhn,”_ he groaned, grinding the hard ridge of his shaft against her. “That might be true if other people are bossin’ me around, Doc,” he rasped, sucking a tiny mark onto her shoulder, “but I’ll do anything you tell me to, even if I gotta crawl to do it.”

 

“No crawling necessary,” she panted, “just…gently, please?”

 

“Of course, love,” he murmured, laying a line of soft kisses up the side of her throat. “I’m gonna take such good care of you, sweetheart, make it so good for you.” He dragged his teeth along her jawline. “My gorgeous girl, been waitin’ so long.”

 

“Please don’t make me wait any more.”

 

“I won’t, baby doll.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm evil, evil I tell you! Bwa-ha-ha-haaaaa! ::running away, cackling madly:: XD
> 
> Seriously, please don't hate me. I promise they'll get some soon.
> 
> Just as an aside, I couldn’t find a specific birthday for Shuri in any Marvel reference, but she was listed as being 16 during the events of Black Panther; those events happened right after CA:CW, which would put her at 18 for Infinity War.
> 
> Thanks to all of you lovely people for your positivity and encouragement! Every comment and kudo is a big reminder that creating things for people to enjoy (no matter what it happens to be) is time well spent.
> 
> Any errors in translation are the property of Google Translate. :D
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	13. Addressing the Border Tribe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins. This is your warning.
> 
> The smut has returned.
> 
> Sort of.
> 
> Well, more than sort of.

  

_“Please don’t make me wait any more.”_

_“I won’t, baby doll.”_

 

***

 

His hand slid over her body, trailing up and down her stomach, lightly teasing; he caressed her breasts, gently pinching and rolling her budded flesh between his fingers until Lexi was squirming against him. When he finally let his fingers drift down to just skim over the fabric of her panties, her hips jerked forward, pushing into his hand.

 

“Mmm,” Bucky hummed against the delicate skin under her ear, “such a good girl.”

 

_“Nnngh,”_ she moaned, her knees practically buckling underneath her.

 

“Just lean on me, _malyshka,_ ” he murmured, bracing one leg slightly behind him and keeping the other between her thighs. “I’ve got ya.”

 

“Please,” she whispered shakily, her chest heaving.

 

Bucky wrapped his arm securely around her, taking her weight easily. “That’s it, beautiful, let me make you feel good.” He nuzzled against her throat, kissing the outer shell of her ear as he made soft circles with his fingers over her panties, moving lower and lower, until he was cupping her, rubbing her gently. “I can feel how wet you are already,” he murmured in her ear. “This all for me, sweetness?”

 

“Yeah,” Lexi whimpered, her breath hitching and her heart pounding in her chest as he traced his middle finger along her slit.

 

“Wanna touch you, feel you drenching my fingers when you come,” he whispered raggedly. “Can I, baby?”

 

She nodded rapidly, moaning, “Oh, fuck, yes.”

 

“Look at me.” As soon as Lexi turned her head, Bucky claimed her mouth in a hot, filthy kiss. Not wasting a second, he dipped his hand inside her panties and slid his fingers between her smooth, slick folds.

 

Lexi gasped into Bucky’s mouth, her back arching hard and driving her ass into his pelvis, one hand still buried in Bucky’s hair and the other grabbing his forearm. Her head fell back to rest on his shoulder, crying out with every exhalation.

 

“Oh, baby girl, you’re soaked, absolutely drippin’ for me,” he moaned into her ear, caressing gentle circles on her swollen clit. “I’ve missed touchin’ you like this, feelin’ you shakin’ apart in my arms.”

 

He slid a single, thick finger inside her, gathering moisture to spread over her sensitive flesh. He pumped his finger slowly and lazily, feeling her muscles squeezing around him. Lexi was beyond speech; nothing but mewling gasps and ragged cries escaping her as molten liquid pooled in her lower abdomen. She writhed against Bucky’s hard, muscled body, riding his hand shamelessly as he continued to talk filthily to her. “So tight, sweetheart, grippin’ my finger so hard. Love to feel how wet you get. ‘S gonna feel so good to be inside you again.”

 

The heat in the pit of her belly grew in intensity and she was trembling from head to toe, her muscles twitching and flinching uncontrollably; the pulsing energy she had shied away from before was back in full force and she welcomed it, allowing it to flow through her. Suddenly her abdominals clenched down, nearly doubling her over. Both hands flew forward to brace herself against the boulder in front of them, her fingers and toes curling, as she pushed her backside into his crotch, whimpering and moaning.

 

Bucky curled over her back, surrounding her, keeping her close. “Come for me, sweetheart,” he growled in her ear. “Just let go, baby; don’t fight it. You know you need it, so be a good girl and come for me. _Now._ ”

 

He began rubbing fast circles over her clit again, and her breath caught in her throat. Everything stopped as the sensation of heat in the pit of her stomach spread out to her arms and legs and up her spine, tingling and sharp; the electric feeling then immediately reversed, coalescing between her shoulders before shooting down her arms and out her hands, and then her orgasm was upon her. Her eyes clenched shut and she wailed, sobbing, as the wave of pleasure crashed through her, nearly drowning out the loud popping noise that came from the boulder; Bucky heard it, though, and saw the puff of dust that came from a newly-formed crack that ran across the top of the large rock.

 

Bucky worked her though it, grinding against her as her hips jerked, concentrating on extending her pleasure for as long as possible without succumbing himself. The energy that was coursing through her made the short hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand up; her skin glowed faintly in the shade, and even more noticeably in her hands. He couldn’t see her eyes, so had no idea if they had turned that special rose-gold color. _Baby steps,_ he reminded himself. This was the most physically intimate moment either of them had had in more than a year and a half, and he wanted to savor it.

 

The glow faded and Lexi began to whimper and flinch with oversensitivity, so Bucky slowly removed his hand from her hot, wet flesh, kissing the top of her shoulder. “You okay, love?” When she nodded tiredly, still panting heavily, he used his arm to tug her gently back. “Just rest on me, sweetheart,” he murmured, wrapping his arm loosely around her waist.

 

Once she was settled back against him and her heart rate began to slow, he lifted his hand to his mouth and sucked his fingers clean. “Fuck, I’ve missed the way you taste,” he moaned, wrapping his arm around her waist again.

 

“Holy shit,” Lexi whispered, her breath catching slightly. She took a couple of deep, shaky inhalations as her emotions attempted to rush to the surface.

 

Bucky hummed deeply, holding her close and nuzzling into the back of her neck. “That was fuckin’ beautiful.”

 

“It’s been…a really long time,” she said, definitely sounding a little overwhelmed.

 

He turned her around and pulled her close again, tucking her under his chin. “Just relax, baby girl,” he cooed, swaying gently. They stood together for several minutes, letting her breathing come back down to normal levels, Bucky keeping his eye on the boulder beside them.

 

“That was amazing,” Lexi sighed, finally calm again. She stretched languorously, sliding her hands up Bucky’s chest and behind his neck, standing on her tiptoes to hug him tightly. Bucky shuddered as her pelvis pressed against his shaft, which was still rock hard in his briefs. “Feels like you need some attention,” she smiled shyly, still looking a little glazed.

 

“Won’t take much,” he groaned, his hips rolling forward, “but we need to move first.”

 

“Move?” Lexi asked, confused. She got her shaky legs back underneath her and stood. “Why?”

 

Bucky bent down stiffly to pick up their clothes, motioning for Lexi to get behind him. Once she was safely out of the way, Bucky brought his fist down hard on top of the boulder; with a loud _crack!_ , the top third sheared off completely and fell away, landing just to the right of where they had been standing.

 

“What the hell?” Lexi asked, wide-eyed and startled. “What happened?”

 

“We broke it,” he chuckled, deep and growly, as he leaned against the remaining two-thirds of the stone edifice and pulled her close, ducking down to capture her lips in a searing kiss. “You had your hands on it when you came,” he murmured against her lips, his tongue peeking out to tease her between kisses. “Blasted that big ol’ rock to pieces.”

 

“Oh,” she responded breathily, resting her weight against his chest.

 

“My sweet, gorgeous baby doll,” he smiled softly, his big hand splayed out across her lower back, pressing her forward, “such a good girl, came so pretty for me, blew that boulder to fuckin’ _smithereens._ ” He started kissing down the side of her throat, nipping and sucking at the soft skin as she shivered.

 

Lexi’s left hand slid up, into Bucky’s hair, while her right hand traveled down to cup his still-rigid shaft, which had not waned in the slightest. “I want you,” she whispered, stroking him through his briefs.

 

“Mmm, I want you, too, angel face,” he replied gruffly, biting lightly at her collarbone, “but not here, not now.”

 

“Please?” she pouted, her bottom lip jutting out as she stroked him harder and curled her fingers into his hair, pulling slowly.

 

“Can’t,” he moaned, his head falling back against the part of the boulder that was still standing. “Gonna be dark soon, gotta get back.”

 

“Bucky…” Lexi whimpered, licking her palm and slipping her hand inside his snug shorts to grip him. “ _God,_ I’ve missed how you feel inside me.”

 

_“Fuck,”_ he ground out, his hips thrusting forward into her fist.

 

“Soon?” she asked, swiping her thumb over the head of his cock, spreading the bead of moisture across the velvety soft skin. She angled his shaft out of his briefs, watching how his jaw rhythmically clenched and relaxed. Standing on tiptoes, she bit at the tendon that stood out in his neck; he grunted and pushed his hips forward even harder. “Pretty please?”

 

“J-Jesus, Lex,” he stuttered, his hand sliding up the back of her shirt and pressing her close. He buried his face in her hair. “Yes, fuck, soon. _Real_ soon. I promise.”

 

“Are you close?” she whispered, twisting her hand over the purple, swollen tip.

 

“ _Yes,_ ” he gritted out through clenched teeth, trying to prolong the inevitable. Even after all this time, she still knew exactly how to work him to drive him absolutely insane.

 

“Then come,” she murmured in his ear, nipping at the lobe. “You know you want to,” she added teasingly.

 

_“Fuck,”_ he shuddered, his hips thrusting erratically as his muscles clenched. With a loud groan, he spilled his seed onto the ground, several thick jets spurting from him as Lexi pumped her fist over his shaft.

 

“That’s it,” Lexi purred, nuzzling into his throat as he came down. “There you go, baby.” Bucky leaned back against the rock, his eyes closed and his face loose and relaxed as he caught his breath. The last few drops of fluid clung to the tip of his cock; without warning, Lexi bent over and quickly licked him clean.

 

“Christ,” Bucky gasped, his eyes popping open again as Lexi straightened up. She smiled at his expression even as she tucked him back into his shorts.

 

“All clean,” she smirked, licking the corner of her mouth lasciviously while Bucky gaped at her. “Time to go?” she asked, all wide-eyed innocence.

 

“Goddamn, girl,” he wheezed, his hand over his heart. “I might need a minute, you’ve turned my brains to mush.”

 

“Aww, poor thing,” Lexi smiled, leaning against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, hugging her tightly. “Are we gonna need to go see Shuri, get you rebooted again?”

 

“Smart ass,” he chuckled, swatting her bottom. He grinned when she yelped, grabbing a handful of her backside. “That’s right. I’ve got one good hand, so I can still put you over my knee, you sassy girl.”

 

“Yeah?” she asked breathily, and he looked down at her, watching her pupils expand and her cheeks get pink.

 

“Yeah, sugar,” he winked, pulling her in for another hungry kiss. “That’s a promise.” One more kiss, and he looked around. “The sun’s going down soon, though, so we need to get going.”

 

Lexi bent down to retrieve their clothes, and after they got dressed, they walked back to the village, hand in hand, smiling dopily at each other the whole way back.

 

***

 

It was only a couple of days later that T’Challa came to visit the Border Tribe to discuss what had happened at the United Nations. He wanted to assure everyone there that security would not be taken lightly. He was accompanied by several members of the Dora Milaje, Okoye among them, of course. Shuri also came with him, as did Nakia.

 

It was interesting meeting Nakia for the first time; Lexi could see the same look in her eyes that she saw in Nat’s—an ability to take in everything around her without even looking. Lexi didn’t doubt for a second that she was an excellent covert operative. It was also obvious that she knew exactly who both Bucky and Lexi were before meeting them; her eyes made it clear that her trust wouldn’t be won so easily. Lexi was glad that she had chosen to wear her comfortable and relaxed native clothing as opposed to the more tactical gear she owned that day; she had a feeling that Nakia might have been even more guarded in her approach if she had seen Lexi as a potential threat.

 

“Doctor Shaeffer, Mister Barnes,” she said, shaking their hands and speaking in a cool, professional tone, “it is a pleasure to meet you both.”

 

“Thank you, Princess Nakia,” Lexi said, Bucky echoing her. “We’ve heard quite a bit about you. The work you’ll be doing in Oakland sounds like it will change lives.”

 

She smiled then, a little more genuinely. “That is our hope,” she said. “I know change will be difficult, but there is so much that needs to be done.”

 

“Change is only difficult for people who don’t want it,” Lexi said seriously, “and those people generally have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.”

 

“Indeed,” she nodded. She tilted her head and gave Lexi a calculated look. “I understand change is something you are very familiar with.”

 

“I am something of an expert at adapting, among other things,” Lexi shrugged, a little self-consciously. “Truthfully, the only thing I fear is harm coming to the people I love.”

 

Several of the village children chose this moment to come running up to the royal family, swarming them with hugs, and Bucky and Lexi were not left out. Lots of smiling, happy faces came out to greet them, all speaking loudly and rapidly.

 

_“_ _Yehlisa isantya, yehlisa isantya,_ _”_ (“Slow down, slow down,”) Lexi laughed as they were nearly knocked off balance. _“_ _Ingcuka idala,_ _awufuni ukumlimaza._ _”_ (“The White Wolf is old, you don’t want to hurt him.”)

 

“Hey!” Bucky frowned, laughing as a few of the children tried to climb him. “No teasing me when I can’t understand you!”

 

“It is true, then?” Nakia asked, looking at Lexi with wide eyes. “Can you really speak any language?”

 

“It’s true,” Lexi nodded. “I may not know what language it is I’m speaking, but I’ll be fluent.”

 

“That is a priceless gift,” she said, clearly in awe.

 

“I certainly don’t take it for granted,” Lexi replied. She smiled at the children around them. “It has made me lots of new friends.”

 

Now that most of the villagers had gathered around, T’Challa began to speak, Nakia, Shuri, and Okoye standing by his side. He told them all—those who hadn’t seen his U.N. address—what was happening, that there would be changes coming to Wakanda; that didn’t mean, however, that anyone would be left unprotected.

 

“We have offered our assistance to other nations; they are not, however, free to enter our country any time they wish,” he explained. “There are to be four official border crossings for those seeking asylum, north, south, east, and west; these crossings will be heavily guarded. All others who come to this country seeking our knowledge or assistance must make an official appointment.” He looked around at the villagers, hoping to reassure them. “We will increase security and technology along all of our borders. You will be safe.”

 

He spoke to them for a few more minutes, answering whatever questions they had, before he came over to speak to Bucky and Lexi directly. “Good afternoon,” he grinned, shaking their hands.

 

“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” Bucky smiled, chuckling as the King rolled his eyes a bit. “We watched the address. It was pretty entertaining.”

 

“We do have some questions, though,” Lexi said. “Particularly about someone who was there, at the U.N., during your address.”

 

When T’Challa raised his eyebrows in curiosity, Bucky said, “We saw that Everett Ross was in the audience—and he didn’t seem the least bit surprised by your announcement.”

 

“Ah,” T’Challa nodded. “Yes, Mister Ross. For a CIA operative, he is quite…open-minded.”

 

“I’m sorry to say, that’s not the impression I had of him when I met him,” Bucky frowned.

 

“No, I’m afraid that your previous encounter with him was under quite unpleasant circumstances,” T’Challa agreed. He then told the two Americans of how Ross had ended up in Wakanda and his role in assisting his mother, Shuri, and Nakia during the attempted coup a year and a half earlier. “He helped to keep my family safe and he fought alongside us to save Wakanda. He has earned my gratitude.”

 

“As long as he’s not still looking to lock Bucky away in prison for the rest of his life,” Lexi stated firmly, “we shouldn’t have any problems.”

 

“I do not know what his current intentions are regarding Mister Barnes,” T’Challa said, “but I made a promise that I would not divulge your presence here to anyone, and that includes Everett Ross.”

 

“That’s more than generous,” Bucky said, and even though Lexi was still worried about it, there was really nothing else she could say. She would have to trust T’Challa to keep his word.

 

The King then moved on to speak with some of the other villagers, and Shuri came over to speak to Bucky and Lexi, an excited look on her face.

 

“How did you enjoy Vienna, Princess?” Lexi asked, smirking.

 

“It was _hilarious,_ ” Shuri drawled, her eyes rolling. “None of those old men believed that I was the head of the Design Group. Finally we stopped accepting questions and simply told them to submit official appointment requests.”

 

“Oh, my god,” Lexi sighed. “The prejudice and preconceived notions are astounding.”

 

“I told you,” Bucky reminded her. “They look down their noses at anyone from outside Europe.”

 

“We have already received a request that I believe you will be interested in, though,” Shuri said, looking at them. “A group from America.”

 

“Really?” Bucky asked. “Anyone we know?”

 

“I would think so,” Shuri nodded. “Colonel James Rhodes, acting as official liaison of the Avengers, as well as Miss Pepper Potts, representative for Stark Industries, made the request.”

 

“Oh,” Lexi said softly. “Any mention of Tony?”

 

“Not yet, officially,” Shuri said, “though I would be very surprised if he was not a part of the delegation.”

 

“When are they coming?” Bucky asked, his brow furrowed.

 

“Not until after the first of the year,” Shuri replied. “It hasn’t been determined yet, but I believe we are looking at mid-January.”

 

“Still two months off yet,” Lexi said, looking concerned.

 

“A lot can happen in two months,” Bucky murmured, tucking her in close.

 

“This is true—not the least of which is your new home,” Shuri grinned. “Nearly all of the components have been completed, and we should be ready to put it all together in just a couple of days.”

 

“I really don’t know how to thank you,” Lexi said, blushing.

 

“Come join me in the lab, if your husband can let you out of his sight for five minutes,” she smiled. “I’m sure we will have a great time.”

 

Just then, a commotion caught their attention as several of the village children came running in, yelling. One of the bigger boys was carrying a little girl who had a large gash on her leg, a jagged cut across her shin that was spurting sluggishly in a constant stream.

 

“Lex,” Bucky whispered, but she was already moving away from him and toward the little girl. The boy knelt on the ground, still holding the girl in his arms. The child was seriously pale, having already lost a lot of blood.

 

_“_ _Kwenzekentoni?_ _”_ (“What happened?”) she asked the boy quietly as the others flocked around. Lexi lifted one of the girl’s eyelids, seeing immediately that her pupil was non-reactive.

 

“Her blood pressure is dropping dangerously,” Shuri said, holding a glowing kimoyo bead over the little girl’s heart. “She needs medical attention immediately.”

 

_“_ _Wayegijima waza wawa eweni elibukhali,_ _”_ (“She was running and she fell on a sharp rock,”) he said, clearly upset. _“_ _Sasingazi ukuba ukusikwa kwakubi. Ayikuyeka ukuphuma egazini._ _”_ (“We didn’t know the cut was that bad. It won’t stop bleeding.”)

 

Lexi looked up at Bucky, who was standing behind her. “I think she punctured her anterior tibial artery,” she said quietly, pressing down on the wound with the material of her skirt. “If I don’t do something, she could bleed out.”

 

Bucky nodded immediately, understanding what she was saying. “Do what you have to do, sweetheart,” he said. “We’ll deal with whatever comes next.”

 

Lexi swallowed, than turned back to the little girl, who hadn’t moved a single muscle, no matter how hard she pressed down on the open wound. Her decision was easy. “Okay, then. Here we go.” Speaking to the boy, she smiled softly and said, _“_ _Ilungile,_ _ndiyakumnceda. Yibambe nje._ _”_ (“It’s okay, I can help her. Just hold her steady.”)

 

Pulling the blood-soaked material away from the child’s leg, Lexi put both hands on her tiny shin, right above and below the laceration. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes and concentrated, waiting for the familiar feeling of warmth to build up in her palms. Knowing that the injury was serious, she let it build up further and further until the light glowing in her palms was easily visible, even in the bright sunlight.

 

“What in the world…” Shuri whispered, seeing the golden glow in Lexi’s hands.

 

“It’s okay, I promise,” Bucky said. “She’s helped me this way before.”

 

Everyone’s voices sounded like they were miles away as Lexi finally began to push the energy into the little girl’s body; she could literally feel the torn arterial tissue knit itself back together under her hands. The bleeding slowed as the flesh was repaired, bit-by-bit, until it stopped altogether; finally, the outer layers of dermis came together and it was as if the injury had never happened. Were it not for the fact that Lexi, the little girl, and the boy that had carried her were covered in blood, no one would be able to tell anything had occurred at all.

 

“Bast be praised,” Shuri murmured, looking at Lexi in absolute shock.

 

When Lexi finally took her hands off the little girl’s leg and sat back, exhausted, the group around her was eerily silent. Bucky knelt down by her side. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked softly.

 

“Yeah,” she nodded, her eyes rather unfocused. “She’s lost a lot of blood, but she’ll be alright now.” She looked down at her hands, palms-up and resting on her knees, and saw that they were slick and red. “She needs a transfusion.”

 

“You get that?” Bucky said to someone, probably Shuri, though Lexi wasn’t sure, and then suddenly he was whispering in her ear, “Can you put your arms around me, baby girl?” She nodded distractedly, lifting her arms to circle his neck, and then he was scooping her off the ground and walking back to their hut. “C’mon, love, let’s take care of you.”

 

“Do you need any help?” someone asked, Lexi thought it might be Nakia, but she had her face buried in Bucky’s throat and her eyes were closed.

 

“I got her, it’s okay,” he replied, carrying her easily, cradled against his body, even with just one arm. “Take care of the little girl.”

 

They arrived back at the hut, Bucky shrugging aside the curtain and letting it fall shut behind them as he carried Lexi straight back to the bathroom. “Can you stand, honey?” he asked, setting her down slowly so that she could rest against the small vanity.

 

“Yeah,” she responded softly, still leaning heavily against him. “Haven’t used that much energy in a long time,” she whispered. “I’ll be okay in a few minutes.”

 

“Let’s get you cleaned up then,” he said, stepping back just a bit to reach into the shower stall and turn on the water.

 

Lexi opened her eyes at the sound of the shower and looked at Bucky. “I got blood all over you,” she said absently, looking at his back and hair and then down at her own arms and legs.

 

“We’ll both get cleaned up,” he said, nodding. “Can you undress yourself?” he asked, pulling his bloodstained shirt off and dropping it on the floor.

 

Lexi nodded and began lethargically stripping out of her blood-soaked clothing, Bucky eventually stepping in to help when her strength waned. It wasn’t until they were both naked and he was carefully leading her into the shower and under the water that it occurred to her that it was the first time they’d bathed together since their separation.

 

“Not really how I pictured us finally getting naked together again,” she said tiredly, leaning back against him as the water began washing the blood off of their bodies.

 

“Don’t get too excited,” Bucky joked. “This shower’s too small for any funny business.”

 

Lexi huffed a laugh as he methodically scrubbed Lexi and himself down, her arms still feeling too heavy to do more than swipe half-heartedly at the drips and smears of blood covering them. Once they were clean and Bucky had shut off the water, he reached out of the stall for two towels; he draped one around Lexi’s head and shoulders while he briskly dried off.

 

“C’mere, doll,” he murmured, drying her off as quickly as he could. Once she was no longer dripping, he said, “Wait here.”

 

He left the bathroom, walking naked into the other room to collect some clothes, coming back with a pair of underwear and one of his large t-shirts. He helped Lexi dress and then brought her out to the bed to lie down. Once she was under a light blanket, curled up on her side with her eyes closed, he got dressed.

 

“I’ll be right back,” he said softly, brushing her damp hair from her forehead and kissing her. “I’m going to go check on the little girl.”

 

He was turning away when Lexi’s quietly spoken question stopped him. “What do you think they’ll do?”

 

He looked at her for a few seconds, seeing her uncertain expression, and then shrugged, shaking his head. “Honestly? I don’t know. I know what I think they _should_ do, but I’ve been wrong about people before.” He gave her a little half-smile. “We’ll deal with whatever happens together.”

 

Lexi swallowed hard and nodded. “I love you,” she whispered.

 

“I love you back, baby girl,” he smiled, more fully this time. “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

 

She nodded again as her eyes slid shut, too exhausted to keep them open any longer.

 

Bucky didn’t have to go far once he stepped outside their hut. T’Challa, Okoye, and Nakia were all waiting outside, a respectful distance from the doorway. Behind them were probably half the residents of the village, several of them holding flowers and towel-covered dishes.

 

“How’s the girl?” Bucky asked immediately, looking at the group waiting for him.

 

“Shuri has taken her and her mother to the closest medical facility,” T’Challa answered seriously, but with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “The child was awake and talking as they left, and her blood pressure was stabilizing.”

 

Bucky visibly relaxed, his shoulders dropping. “Thank god,” he exhaled, before addressing them again. “I’m guessing you have some questions.”

 

“No, not really,” T’Challa smirked, “other than to ask after Doctor Shaeffer’s health. Is she well?”

 

“She’s resting, but she’ll be alright,” Bucky nodded. “It’s been a long time since she used that ability to that extent. It took a lot out of her.”

 

“She saved that child’s life,” Nakia said softly, bowing her head. “We are in her debt.”

 

“No,” Bucky said emphatically to their surprise, “no debts. Lexi doesn’t have a ledger, and neither do I. You’ve fed and sheltered us; believe me, you don’t owe us anything.”

 

“Be that as it may,” T’Challa said, still smiling, “we are grateful beyond words.” He glanced over his shoulder at the villagers behind him. “I believe quite a few of your neighbors wish to thank Doctor Shaeffer as well.”

 

Bucky chuckled as Abuya, Tadeo’s grandmother, walked right up to him and shoved a baking dish into his hand, then pulled his head down so that she could kiss his cheek. She chattered at him rapidly, pointing back at the hut he had just come out of, patting his arm and smiling, before she waved and walked off. Bucky smiled, a little confused, as he looked back at the King. “I have no idea what she said.”

 

Okoye was fighting back a smile as she said, “Something about your wife needing to eat more because she is too thin.” She shrugged. “That and you need to fatten her up and make some pretty blue-eyed babies.”

 

The smile slid off Bucky’s face. “Oh,” he said softly. He looked over his shoulder at the curtain-covered doorway. “We…can’t,” he shook his head, keeping his voice down and hoping that Lexi was asleep and hadn’t heard any of what was said. “Maybe someone could let Abuya know not to say anything to Lex about that? It upsets her.”

 

Nakia spoke up, an understanding look on her face. “Of course,” she said. “I hope you are not offended.”

 

“No, no, of course not,” Bucky assured them. “I know Abuya likes Lexi. She wouldn’t want to say anything to hurt her.”

 

“I will discuss it with her,” Okoye said, nodding. “This talk will go no further.”

 

“Thank you,” Bucky said quietly.

 

***

 

Bucky came back in a little while later, juggling more than a few dishes of food as best he could. He looked at Lexi, who had rolled over so that she faced away from the rest of the room; she appeared to be napping still, to his relief, as he put several items into the refrigerator, leaving one or two on the counter for dinner. He started cooking immediately, knowing she would be hungry when she woke up.

 

Lexi listened as he moved as silently as possible, turning on the cooktop and heating up some food, keeping still so as not to attract his attention.

 

A tear rolled down her face as she replayed the conversation she had overheard in her head, over and over again, convinced that she heard disappointment and regret in Bucky’s voice when he spoke to the group outside.

 

***

 

The people in the village were most definitely not put off by Lexi’s display of ability; it was quite the opposite, actually. They treated Lexi as they had always done, though perhaps with an even greater level of affection.

 

The little girl recovered completely and was back in the village the next day, proof again that the medical care and technology in Wakanda was by far the most advanced in the world; seemingly able to accomplish the impossible every day.

 

This was the thought on Lexi’s mind when the little girl came to thank her, hugging her tightly; whether she could—or should—consider trying to accomplish what she had thought for more than twenty years was impossible. She owed it to herself and to Bucky to try, at the very least.

 

If anyone in the world could help her give Bucky the family he wanted and deserved, it was Shuri.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just when you think things are going to be calm and peaceful for a while, right? NOPE. Not in this story! XD
> 
> (For anyone wondering, light produces heat--think EZ Bake Oven--so a bright enough light, concentrated in a small area, can actually boil water. Thermal expansion of water inside a rock, called spalling, can cause the rock to crack and crumble. Yay, science!) 8D (nerd in glasses emoticon)
> 
> I hope you are all doing well and that the holidays are not driving you insane yet. I need to get started on cards. Ugh. :P
> 
> Thank you all for your comments and kudos--you're amazing and I appreciate every single one of you!
> 
> I promise to see you again before Christmas! :)
> 
> Any errors in translation are the property of Google Translate. :D


	14. Home, Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!! The Family Holiday Visit is OVER!! I got through it without a single meltdown, too. Victory! XD
> 
> But seriously, sorry this chapter is late. I know I promised it would be up before Christmas, but GOOD LORD those people are nosy AF. Every time I opened my laptop, someone was hanging over my shoulder to see what I was doing.
> 
> But now I can breathe, do my final tweaks, and post this chapter. A chapter that contains...
> 
> SMUT WARNING!! Yes, there is SMUT! Emotional, romantic-ish smut, but still smut. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and that you all had a wonderful holiday!

  

Shuri was true to her word, and all of the parts to their new home were ready just a few days later. “I just don’t understand how you could possibly do it so quickly,” Lexi said, shaking her head in disbelief as the workmen arrived. With no instruction beyond where to set up, they got to work; with the help of a holographic ball, they mapped out the foundation, created a flat and level surface, and began installing support beams. After only a few hours, the wall posts were installed and the roof trusses were in place.

 

The three of them—Shuri, Lexi, and Bucky—sat under a large tree in what would be their front yard. “They will be done before sunset,” Shuri grinned, looking at the plans she had laid out. “The _boma_ is directly on the other side of those trees and the lake,” she pointed to the right of their home-under-construction, “and anyone from the city who decides to visit you will most likely come from this direction,” she pointed up the small hill behind them, “so you’ll see them coming.”

 

“This is amazing,” Lexi smiled. She looked at Shuri with a grateful smile. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

 

“Actually,” she said hesitantly to the other two, “there is something you could do for us.”

 

“Name it,” Bucky said earnestly.

 

“I’m sure you’ve noticed that women and children greatly outnumber the men here in the village.” Bucky and Lexi both nodded. “During the difficulties we had last year,” she said sadly, “many of the men from the Border Tribe were either killed or imprisoned with W’Kabi. The children have been trying to keep up, but there have been many more baby goats born this year than they can handle.” She looked at both Bucky and Lexi with her hands together under her chin, a pleading expression on her face. “Would you consider taking charge of a dozen sweet, adorable, baby goats?”

 

Lexi’s eyes got wider and they welled up a bit. “Baby goats?” she asked, her voice pitching higher. When Shuri nodded, Lexi turned to Bucky. “Oh, please, Bucky, ohpleaseohpleaseohplease!”

 

He tried not to laugh. “Baby goats, huh?” he smirked.

 

“Oh, my god, they’re _so cute_ ,” Lexi gushed. “We can put little pajamas on them and everything.”

 

Shuri burst out laughing at the look on Bucky’s face, which was somewhere between confusion and horror. “We’ll take the babies,” he said to Shuri, but then he looked at Lexi, “without the pajamas.”

 

“Aw, come on!” Lexi protested, stomping her foot.

 

“Show him the YouTube videos,” Shuri said, patting Lexi’s arm with a smug grin. “He’ll change his mind.”

 

Bucky scoffed and turned around. “No, I won’t!” he called over his shoulder as he walked away.

 

Lexi and Shuri shared a knowing glance, nodding conspiratorially. “Yes, he will,” they said in unison.

 

***

 

Several hours later, as promised, the small home was almost finished and workmen were bringing the large furnishings in. Shuri showed them how everything was organized; it seemed, truly, to be bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. There was a living area and a kitchen in the front and a bedroom and full bath in the back.

 

“The walls and roof, as requested,” Shuri grinned, knocking on a nearby wall, “are reinforced and completely energy absorbent—and when the doors and windows are shut, it is also completely soundproof. ”

 

“Um, thanks,” Lexi smiled, blushing.

 

“We’ll be back tomorrow to put a pen in for you,” she said, “and a second building to store food and supplies and act as a shelter when necessary.”

 

They walked outside just as the workmen were getting ready to install the front door.

 

“Perhaps we can find some flowers for you to plant around your new home,” she said, looking at the turned-up earth around the base of the brand new, yet convincingly aged and rustic-looking round walls.

 

Lexi laughed. “I’ve got that covered, don’t worry about it.”

 

Shuri looked at her quizzically. “How so?”

 

Lexi walked over to an area several feet from the front door and knelt down, digging her hands into the soil. After a few seconds, a peaceful look came over her face. “This soil is so interesting,” she murmured, and then she took a deep breath.

 

“What is she doing?” she whispered to Bucky, and he grinned at her.

 

“Just watch,” he nodded. “It’s pretty cool.”

 

For another few seconds, they continued to observe, and then, to Shuri’s absolute astonishment, green shoots began to appear, popping out of the ground. These shoots began to leaf and bud, and then tiny purple flowers began to blossom and bloom in vibrant bunches. By the time she pulled her hands from the soil, half a dozen healthy little plants were brightening up the area.

 

Lexi exhaled, a little shakily, and brushed her hands off. “Violets. Nice.”

 

Bucky came over and helped her to her feet. “You okay, sweetness?” he asked, keeping her steady as she swayed slightly.

 

“Yeah,” she smiled, leaning against him. “That always takes it out of me a little, but I’m good.”

 

“They’re so pretty,” Bucky said, kissing the side of her head. “The baby goats will probably eat them, though.”

 

“That’s okay,” Lexi laughed. “I can always grow more.”

 

“What—how—that’s amazing!” Shuri exclaimed, her eyes wide with astonishment.

 

Lexi shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “Definitely one of my stranger talents,” she said, picking dirt from under her fingernails. “Nice to have, I suppose, if you like flowers—or need grass to feed a dozen baby goats.”

 

“Can you do that with any plant?” Shuri asked, and Lexi frowned at the sound of urgency in her voice.

 

“Well, I can’t just make any plant grow anywhere,” Lexi explained, “but these violets are native and have grown here before. If there are live roots or viable seeds or anything like that still in the ground, then…yeah,” she nodded, “I can make it grow.”

 

“Even if the plant has been damaged? Burned?”

 

“Um, I don’t know,” Lexi said, “but I think, as long as there’s at least part of a healthy root left, I can do it.”

 

“I must speak to my brother,” Shuri said, turning and racing to her hovercraft.

 

“Is everything okay?” Lexi asked, worried.

 

“If I am correct, everything could be wonderful!” she said, waving to them as she drove off.

 

“Any idea what she’s talking about?” Lexi asked, looking over at Bucky, who shrugged and shook his head.

 

“Not a clue, baby doll,” he replied, walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her. “The workmen are just about done inside,” he said, kissing her softly. “Feel like taking a shower, gettin’ cleaned up?”

 

“Together? Conserve water’n all that?” she asked in response. “Sounds like a great idea to me.”

 

“Always thinking, aren’t you?” he grinned.

 

***

 

Once all the workmen were gone for the day, and they had gone to the hut in the _boma_ to bring back some of their belongings, Bucky took Lexi’s hand and walked slowly into their new bathroom. “C’mon, sweetheart,” he grinned, tugging her close. “Time to get clean.”

 

“Pretty sure you’re not thinking about anything _clean,_ ” Lexi teased, gently biting her bottom lip.

 

“You can trust me on this, doll,” he nodded, smirking, “when we’re done in here, you’re gonna be squeaky clean from head to toe.”

 

They dropped their clothes into the laundry basket and stepped into the shower, which Shuri had definitely designed to be larger than the standard stall found in most of the village homes. It operated the same way, though, and soon the two were standing under the warm spray, holding each other tight.

 

“Everything I’ve ever wanted, right here,” Bucky murmured, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and nuzzling against her hair.

 

Lexi hummed contentedly, trailing her hands up and down his spine. “Me, too,” she whispered, enjoying the wet warmth of his skin. “Don’t want to be without you ever again.” She tipped her chin up and began kissing along his jawline.

 

“Don’t have to be, baby girl,” he said, meeting her lips with his own.

 

They kissed for a long time, stopping only to actually get clean. Despite having only one arm, Bucky was as good as his word, carefully and gently washing Lexi’s hair and lovingly cleaning her entire body, being especially diligent when lathering soap over her breasts. Lexi likewise scrubbed Bucky down, taking special care around his new metal cuff. There was still scar tissue there, and she ran her soapy hands over it slowly, listening to Bucky hum contentedly. Everything was quiet and peaceful; that is, until Lexi wrapped a slippery palm around his half-hard cock and started stroking him.

 

“Fuck, baby girl,” he groaned, “we’re gonna need to move this to the bed before anything serious starts.”

 

Lexi continued to pump him slowly, feeling as his shaft quickly filled in her hand. “It’s been a while,” she murmured, leaning in to kiss his collarbone, nipping just a bit at the bony protrusion.

 

Bucky inhaled sharply, smiling down at her. “We’ll take it slow, sweetheart.”

 

Lexi smiled at him, a devilish little gleam in her eyes. “Or not.”

 

Despite her words, they rinsed and dried off unhurriedly, taking the time to move their hands over each other’s body, discovering their love’s shape all over again. Once they were dry, towels wrapped around them to ward off a bit of chill in the air, Bucky took Lexi’s hand and walked into to their new bedroom, leading her over to the bed. Shuri had arranged for the workers to bring their bed mat over from the _boma,_ and had outfitted it with a new frame and tubular metal headboard that the genius assured them (with waggling eyebrows) was indestructible. He then turned to her and cupped her cheek, leaning down to kiss her. “I haven’t really cared about missing an arm until now,” he said, sliding his hand into her damp hair.

 

“I still don’t care,” Lexi replied, turning him and walking him a step or two backwards until the backs of his thighs hit the mattress. “Get your ass on that bed.”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” he grinned, biting his bottom lip a little. “You’re so hot when you’re feeling bossy.” He sat down and carefully pushed himself back until he was in the center of the mattress. Lexi knelt on the bed, crawling over to him and pushing him flat down on his back, and then immediately straddled his thighs.

 

“I’m feeling like I’m going to explode if you’re not inside me soon,” she whispered, leaning down to kiss him hard. She flattened herself against him, needing to feel their bodies connected as much as possible.

 

Bucky groaned loudly, wrapping his arm around her and pressing her lower back down as he tilted his pelvis up. His shaft was still hard, and the friction from the towel felt like too much and not enough at the same time. Lexi rolled her hips down and Bucky’s stomach clenched, his head falling back. “Holy hell,” he whispered. “Just warnin’ ya, but Round One’s probably not gonna last long.”

 

“Maybe we need to take some of the edge off, ya think?” Lexi asked, nipping at his earlobe.

 

“Whatcha got in mind, doll face?” he asked, beginning to look desperate for relief.

 

Rather than answer with words, she began to move down his body; kissing and licking at his nipples until he was groaning and writhing, then moving down over his abs. She scooted down his legs and curled her fingers into the towel, saying only, “Lift,” before peeling the thick material away and off his body. Tossing it aside, she moved to kneel between his legs and slowly ran her hands over him. His shaft, completely hard, twitched at the touch of her hands on his thighs.

 

“I’d almost forgotten how beautiful you are,” she murmured, a little smile coming to her face as she gazed upon him, looking at him as if for the first time. “Absolutely gorgeous.”

 

“Absolutely naked,” he teased, lifting a foot and nudging her hip with his toe. “How’s about ya join me?”

 

Lexi quirked an eyebrow at him, smirking, before she took both hands and started to slowly unwrap the towel from around her torso. She couldn’t hold back the grin when Bucky groaned, “Jesus Christ.” Standing high on her knees, she took the towel in both hands and held it in front of herself, shielding her body from Bucky’s heated gaze.

 

Bucky looked up at her, grinning wickedly. “You like teasin’ me, ya little minx?”

 

“And if I do?” Lexi whispered huskily. “Are ya gonna spank me for bein’ a bad girl?”

 

Bucky’s eyes widened comically and his head fell back, moaning, “ _Oh, my god._ ”

 

Lexi laughed at his expression. “Too much?” she asked, finally tossing the towel away.

 

“Gonna kill me, I swear,” he muttered, looking back at her. “Oh, honey,” he sighed wistfully, looking her over.

 

“What?” she asked, blushing.

 

“You’re so damned beautiful, Lex,” he said, reaching for her. She leaned forward, hovering over him. He tucked her hair behind her ear and gently pulled her down to kiss him, allowing his hand to trail over her shoulder and down her back to her hip, curling around it and urging her closer.

 

Lexi broke away and pulled back, smiling at the immediate noise of displeasure Bucky made. “Aww, don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” she grinned, kissing him quickly.

 

“Damn right, you’re not,” Bucky whispered, right before gasping, “ _Fuck!_ ”

 

Lexi had taken hold of his shaft and was pumping him slowly. “That’s the idea,” she smiled, as she pulled her wet hair over her left shoulder, leaned down, and licked him from root to tip.

 

“Oh, oh, god,” Bucky moaned, watching as she took the red, swollen head into her mouth and sucked gently. “Fuckin’ hell, baby girl.”

 

“I’ve missed this so much,” she whispered, licking him up and down. “Missed how you feel, how you taste.” She swallowed him down, humming with satisfaction when his cock nudged the back of her throat.

 

“ _Fu-u-u-uck,_ ” Bucky groaned, his hand curling into the sheets. When she slowly started bobbing up and down, her hand squeezing and pumping, he rushed to say, “ _Really_ not gonna last long, baby girl, this just feels too fuckin’ good.”

 

Lexi pulled off, licking the underside of his shaft, to say, “Like you said, big guy, this is only Round One.” She continued licking and sucking, getting more and more turned on as she listened to Bucky panting and moaning and trying to restrain himself. She sucked hard, twisting her tongue over his engorged head, and it pushed him over the edge.

 

“Oh, fuck, baby,” he groaned loudly, his stomach muscles clenching. “I’m gonna come, oh, _Jesus, Lex_ —“

 

Lexi held his hips down as best she could as his climax punched through him. He cried out, and it was a broken, ragged sound that accompanied the hot, bitter-salty spurts hitting the back of her throat. He was breathing hard, moaning with every exhalation as the pleasurable sensations swept over his body. Even after he began to calm, she could still feel his muscles twitching and flexing as the aftershocks moved through him. When she felt his hand gently rest on the back of her head, she let his shaft slowly slip free, kissing the tip as she laid it on his thigh.

 

She looked up at him; his head had fallen back, his eyes were closed, and his lips were parted as his breathing gradually slowed. Kissing her way back up his abdomen and his chest, stopping briefly to nuzzle his bearded cheek before looking at him. He looked completely out of it; eyes only half-open, heavy-lidded and sleepy, smiling dreamily at her. “Hi there,” she whispered, grinning at his expression. She lay fully on his chest, combing her fingers through his damp, tousled hair. “How are you feeling?” she asked softly.

 

When he answered, his voice was a husky and scratchy drawl, sending shivers up Lexi’s spine. “It’s been a long time since I was able to get drunk,” he rasped, grinning dopily, “but I seem to remember it feeling a little like this.”

 

“Did you like that?” she whispered, nipping at his earlobe, grinning at the quick intake of breath followed by a shaky exhalation.

 

“Maybe only two things in the whole world I like more,” he said, trailing his fingers up her back, smiling as he felt her shiver.

 

“Really? You like something more than that?” Lexi laughed.

 

“I’ve missed how you taste, too,” he whispered, claiming her lips and kissing her slowly and deeply. “So why don’t you come up here and let me have some?”

 

Lexi pulled back and looked at him with big eyes. “You mean…?”

 

“Get up here, baby,” he growled, waggling his eyebrows.

 

“Oh, my god,” Lexi blushed, laughing.

 

Bucky reached down and squeezed her ass. “Fuck, I’ve missed this,” he said, urging her forward.

 

“You’d better tell me if you need me to move,” Lexi said, kissing him and then crawling up his body.

 

“Move all you want, I’ve got you, darlin’,” he replied hungrily.

 

Lexi straddled his broad shoulders, reaching out and putting her right hand on the headboard for balance.

 

“Oh, fuck, yes,” Bucky groaned, leaning up and flicking his tongue against her slick, sensitive flesh.

 

“ _Oh!_ ” Lexi keened, her fingers curling around a metal bar.

 

“Mmm,” he moaned, his arm wrapping around her and pulling her down. “Get down here,” he murmured roughly. He kissed her smooth, soft outer lips, over and over, his tongue occasionally darting out to tease at her swollen clit.

 

“Oh, god, Bucky,” she whimpered as her hips jerked with every touch of his tongue. She was trapped, held in place by his strong right arm, almost at his mercy.

 

“Taste so fuckin’ good, baby girl,” he whispered, dragging his tongue through her folds.

 

“Ah, _fuck!_ ” she gasped, her left hand grasping a handful of Bucky’s hair and tugging. Her right hand was still curled around the headboard, and was essentially the only thing keeping her upright.

 

He groaned at the yanking of his hair, his eyes rolling back. He licked her, plunging his tongue inside her, as her hips rolled. “Please, Bucky,” she breathed heavily, “please, don’t stop. Feels so good. Need to come so bad.”

 

“Come on, sugar,” he said, wrapping his arm around her left thigh to hold her in place. “Let go.” He sucked her clit hard, lashing it with his tongue.

 

“Oh, god, _ahh!_ ” she cried, feeling the tightening in her lower abdomen. “Yes, please, Bucky, oh, please, don’t stop!”

 

He growled as her legs shook and her fist tightened in his hair.

 

She felt her muscles lock into place, the energy rolling through her in a tidal wave as her orgasm crashed down. She wailed in pleasure, her legs clamping down on his shoulders; he held her close, not letting her squirm away, until she was begging him to stop.

 

Bucky’s arm loosened as her climax waned, and he began stroking her lower back as he kissed her inner thigh softly. “You okay, baby girl?” he asked quietly.

 

“Yeah,” she gasped, nodding weakly. She rolled off to the side, curling into a ball as she shivered. Bucky wrapped himself around her, keeping her warm.

 

He kissed her shoulder, rubbing his whiskers gently on her soft skin. “That was incredible,” he whispered. “Thank you, sweetness.”

 

Lexi chuckled tiredly. “Fuck, that was good,” she sighed happily.

 

“Yeah, it was,” Bucky laughed softly in response. “You need to rest a little? That looked pretty intense.”

 

“Did it?” she asked, hugging his arm around her and snuggling back into his chest.

 

“Lit up so bright, so gorgeous,” he said, nuzzling into the nape of her neck. “Most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

 

“You say that every time,” she said, smiling lazily.

 

“It’s true every time,” he grinned, nibbling under her ear. She giggled, drawing her shoulder up. “I’m the luckiest man in the world, gettin’ to be the only one who ever sees that.”

 

Lexi turned her head, seeking his lips for a kiss. “Wanna see it again?” she asked saucily.

 

“There’s nothing else I’d like more,” he whispered, squeezing her and pressing his hips forward. His erection slid against her backside, once again hot and rigid.

 

“Mmm,” Lexi hummed, kissing him again. “Feels like we’re both ready for Round Two,” she sighed, her hips tilting back.

 

“Definitely,” Bucky moaned softly. “Are you okay to ride me?” he asked, his hand cupping her breast and massaging gently.

 

“Absolutely,” she replied, her breathing getting heavier. “Roll over, baby.”

 

With another kiss, Bucky lay on his back again, grinning wickedly as Lexi sat up and turned toward him, tossing a leg over his hips. “God, you’re so beautiful,” he sighed, running his hand up her thigh and wrapping around her waist.

 

She settled on top of him, feeling the thick, heavy weight of his shaft against her sensitive, swollen folds. “Fuck,” she moaned, rocking forward, “it’s been too long.”

 

“Slow and easy, sweetheart,” Bucky rasped, his voice deep and rumbly.

 

“Don’t know if I can go slow,” Lexi replied breathily, shamelessly grinding on him. “You feel too good.”

 

“Just be careful, okay?” he asked, squeezing her hip. “Don’t want you to—ah, _fuck,_ that’s amazing—don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

 

“Need you in me,” Lexi whimpered, lifting up on her knees and reaching down to grip Bucky’s cock.

 

“Oh, god,” he moaned, his jaw dropping open as his red, swollen tip brushed against the wet warmth of her. “Christ, baby doll,” he gasped, “feels so good.”

 

She guided him inside her, already feeling the stretch; the combination of his girth and a year-and-a-half of celibacy making for an extremely tight fit. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she panted, easing down slowly.

 

“Jesus, sugar, there ya go,” Bucky exhaled roughly, handing her complete control. “You’re so tight, honey, please don’t rush.” He listened to her breathing and watched her expressions, making sure she wasn’t in any pain as she carefully worked herself down onto his shaft.

 

“ _Oh, yesss,_ ” Lexi sighed throatily as she finally took him fully within her. Her head tipped forward, her hair falling in damp waves around her arms, which were braced on his chest. Suddenly she swallowed hard and her breath hitched. “God, Bucky,” she said shakily, “I missed you so much.”

 

“Aw, honey,” Bucky whispered, looking up at her. She had begun to glow, faintly, in the dim light of the room; a quick glance at his hand showed he was in a similar state. He contracted his stomach muscles and got his arm underneath him, pushing himself up into a sitting position. “C’mere, little love,” he said, wrapping his arm around her and hugging her tightly. He could feel her trembling as she clung to him, her arms encircling his neck and shoulders.

 

“We’re okay, sweetheart,” he murmured soothingly, his hand resting calmingly on the back of her neck. “We’re here, together, and everything’s gonna be alright from now on.”

 

Lexi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Promise?”

 

“I promise.”

 

She pulled back, just a little, to rest her forehead against his. Cupping his cheeks in both of her hands, she kissed him; soft, lingering kisses that made his head swim. He smiled into the kiss when she nipped at his bottom lip, only to gasp when she rocked her hips forward. “Oh, hell, baby girl,” he moaned, his hand dropping to wrap around her waist, “that’s not fair.”

 

“I thought you liked it when I played dirty,” she whispered, lifting up and dropping back down quickly. She groaned, her head falling back as Bucky’s arm squeezed her.

 

“Fuck, angel face, you are the most amaz— _unh!_ ” he grunted loudly when she dropped down again.

 

“Oh, my god, I love this,” Lexi moaned, now moving slower, simply rocking in Bucky’s lap, her hips rolling back and forth.

 

“Me, too, darlin’,” Bucky exhaled roughly. He lay down, groaning as he looked up at her. “Most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” he choked out, running his hand up over one breast and then the other. “You always know how to work me. Made just for me, swear to god.”

 

For minutes or hours, they moved together, finally re-consummating their bond to each other; kissing, worshipping, remembering the feel of the other’s flesh under their fingers and their lips. It stretched on endlessly, yet began building to a crescendo all too soon. Lexi reached a point of no return, the coil in her belly tightening until it was almost painful. She braced her hands on Bucky’s chest and started riding him in earnest, moaning and whimpering as she took him hard. “Fuck, this feels so good,” she sobbed. “Please, please, fuck me, baby. I need you to, please.”

 

“ _Yes,_ baby girl,” he hissed, wrapping his big hand around her hip and planting his heels on the bed. He thrust up sharply, nearly throwing Lexi completely off him, making her yelp in surprise.

 

“Brace yourself, sweetheart,” he grinned. As soon as Lexi had both hands on the bed over his shoulders, holding herself in place, he started fucking her with a hard, steady rhythm that had her shouting within seconds.

 

“Oh, fuck, _oh, fuck, Bucky please_ don’t stop,” she cried, pushing herself back into his thrusts.

 

Beneath her, Bucky moaned roughly through clenched teeth. “I can feel ya, doll, can feel ya squeezin’ me. Let go, baby girl, come for me.”

 

The blast that went through her caught her completely unprepared. She froze as everything clenched down and the surge of energy moved out from her center, faster and harder than she expected. Her orgasm crashed down upon her, making her cry out sharply with its intensity, and carried Bucky over with her.

 

“Oh, my god, baby, _fuck!_ ” he shouted, thrusting erratically into her, feeling her muscles spasm and flutter around his shaft. He pulled her tightly against him and held on to her as her hips jerked, grinding hard as he felt his own wave of energy sweep over him; his climax shook him to his core and left him gasping and panting, holding Lexi as close as he could without hurting her.

 

“Baby girl, oh, my god,” he whispered, breathing heavily, lying there with his eyes closed. Lexi trembled against him as both of their aftershocks finally ebbed away; she clung to him, feeling emotionally raw and exposed, her face buried in his throat. “You okay, sweetheart?” he asked, stroking her back as well as he could. She nodded, cuddling against him as their heart rates slowed.

 

“ _Te iubesc, James,_ ” Lexi whispered.

 

Bucky grinned, remembering their first time together nearly two years earlier. “ _Si eu te iubesc, Lexi._ ”

 

For several long, quiet minutes, they lay together, just breathing and slowly caressing each other’s skin. Eventually the tremors faded and the two were left simply enjoying the warmth shared between their bodies.

 

“When I am strong,” Lexi whispered, “you are strong.”

 

“You are my life. You are my love,” Bucky replied, smiling softly. “Together we are one.”

 

“Always,” Lexi said shakily, hugging Bucky tight. “You are everything to me.”

 

“I’ve missed this, so much,” Bucky murmured, kissing her forehead. “Not just the sex—which is just as spectacular as I remember, by the way—but talking to you, seeing you smile, holding you, waking up with you, hearing your voice, all of it.”

 

“I missed how you smell,” Lexi said softly, chuckling as a tear pricked her eyelids. She buried her face in his throat and inhaled deeply, sighing as she relaxed into his embrace. “That’s how I know I’m home—you smell the same.”

 

“Ah, yeah,” he grinned, cuddling her close. “Sunshine and cookies. That’s what made me realize you were here—I could smell sunshine and cookies.”

 

“I’d better not ever run out of that lotion,” she mused sleepily. “You might not recognize me otherwise.”

 

“I’ll always know you, baby girl,” he whispered into her hair. “No matter what.”

 

They were quiet for a few moments, Bucky trailing his fingers softly over her skin, before Lexi made a curious noise, sounding like, “Huh.”

 

“What’s up, love?”

 

“Good thing that Shuri knows her stuff,” she murmured. “The house is still standing.”

 

Bucky chuckled tiredly and pulled a blanket over the two of them, getting comfortable as they drifted off to sleep.

 

***

 

Morning came, and Bucky’s eyes fluttered open. He frowned slightly, confused when something felt different. It took him a few seconds to realize that not only was Lexi still in bed with him, but she was still asleep. The sun was peeking through the new curtains, hanging inside their new bedroom, its rays crossing above them to land about halfway up the wall on the other side of the room, indicating that it had been daylight for a little while already.

 

Bucky grinned from ear-to-ear, cuddling Lexi close. Her breath hitched slightly before she exhaled, her muscles relaxing and going pliant again in his warm embrace. This was, without a doubt, already the best morning he’d had since he’d come out of cryo months earlier.

 

He dozed, on and off, finally opening his eyes when Lexi began to stir against him. Surprisingly, she did no more than roll over and tuck herself under his chin before falling silent and still once more, apparently content to keep dreaming.

 

He held her a little longer, until his enhanced hearing caught the sounds of workmen outside, there to start construction on the outbuilding and pen for the goats. He started to comb his fingers through her wild, sleep-tangled hair, scratching lightly at her scalp. “Hey, love,” he whispered, “time to get up.”

 

“Mmph,” she grunted, nuzzling against him. “Too early.”

 

“C’mon, baby girl, we need to get moving.”

 

“Why?” she moaned, wrapping her left arm around his torso, as if to prevent him from rising.

 

“Daylight’s a-wastin’,” he grinned, now rubbing her bare back a little more vigorously. “The workmen are outside already.”

 

She picked her head up, looking around in confusion at the sunshine streaming in between the curtains. “Oh,” she said, clearly surprised. “How did that happen?”

 

“Well, sweetheart,” Bucky said softly, “the Earth rotates on its axis at a little over one thousand miles-per— _ow!”_

 

“Smart ass,” Lexi grumbled, kissing the spot on his chest that she had just bitten. He snickered, kissing her forehead. “Okay, I’m awake.”

 

“I’m going to get dressed and head outside,” he said, rolling to the side and sitting up.

 

“I’ll start breakfast,” she replied, rubbing her face. She stopped and looked at Bucky. “It is still breakfast time, right?”

 

Bucky picked up his phone from the bedside table. “Yeah,” he chuckled. “It’s only a little after eight.”

 

He stood and started to walk across the room, looking over his shoulder and winking in response to the wolf whistle from the woman still in bed. After pulling some clothes on, he checked his phone, turning to Lexi. “There’s a message from Shuri,” he said, opening the text.

 

“Yeah? What’s up?” Lexi asked as she got out of bed and walked over to the dresser, pushing her hair back from her face and wincing as her fingers caught in the knots.

 

“She and T’Challa want to come by and talk to us,” he said, reading the screen.

 

“What time?” she asked, opening a drawer to retrieve some clothes.

 

Bucky came up behind her, set his phone on top of the dresser, then snaked his arm around her midsection and pulled her back against his chest. “Mmm,” he hummed into the crook of her neck, “maybe we should say no, we’re too busy today.”

 

“We can be busy later,” she smirked, leaning back to kiss him. “Now let’s get breakfast. I want to get over to the _boma_ and finish clearing out the other hut before lunch.”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” he quipped, dropping another quick kiss on her cheek before backing away. Slowly. While biting his bottom lip.

 

“Get moving,” Lexi laughed, stepping into her panties.

 

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled. He opened his phone again to his message screen. “I’ll let Shuri know that we’ll be around after ten if they want to come by.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll bet you can see where the next chapter is going. :D
> 
> And it took a few months, but they are really, truly, back together again. Yay! XD
> 
> As always, thank you so much for the kudos and comments! I'm so thankful for this community--the positivity and encouragement is incredible. I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year, and I wish you all the best for 2019.
> 
> Any errors in translation are the property of Google Translate. Of course. :)
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	15. The Heart-Shaped Herb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! Yeah, I know I'm a little late here--sick kiddo for a few days demanded attention. How dare she, right? XD 
> 
> Who has their tickets for Captain Marvel already? I got mine for the very first Thursday night showing and I can't wait!!
> 
> There is a little smut at the end of this chapter, so if that doesn't float your boat, you'll know when to start scrolling. ;)

 

Later that morning, after the workmen had arrived again and begun working on the outbuilding and new pen for the baby goats, Shuri arrived with T’Challa. She looked incredibly excited and dragged her brother over to show him the violets growing near their front door.

 

Bucky watched as T’Challa and Shuri both knelt next to the flowers, T’Challa reaching out to touch them carefully. “Good morning,” he called, walking over from where the first posts for the goat pen had already gone in.

 

“Good morning, Bucky,” Shuri called out, grinning widely as she and her brother stood to greet him. “I hope you and Lexi had a lovely evening in your new home.”

 

“We did, thank you,” he said, blushing slightly as he smiled. He gestured over his shoulder. “We’re getting ready for the babies, as you can see.”

 

“Excuse me?” T’Challa blurted in surprise.

 

“The baby goats, Your Highness,” Shuri rolled her eyes at her brother. “Bucky and Lexi have graciously accepted a dozen of the latest additions to the herd to care for.”

 

“Oh,” T’Challa laughed, laughing at his misunderstanding. “That is very kind of you.”

 

“Lexi’s very excited about it,” Bucky chuckled. “Apparently baby goats are the cutest things she’s ever seen.”

 

“Is Lexi here?” Shuri asked. “We would very much like to speak to her.”

 

“Yeah, she’s inside. We just came back with the last box of things from the _boma,_ ” he said. He opened the front door and called out, “Lex? Shuri and T’Challa are here.” He turned to the King and his sister. “Would you like to come in?”

 

Just then, Lexi came out from the back room, wiping her hands on her pants. “Good morning,” she said cheerfully, her hair swinging from a single long ponytail.

 

“Good morning,” T’Challa and Shuri said, the King adding, “Actually, I was hoping to speak with you about…these flowers.” He gestured to the violets by the door.

 

“Um, sure,” Lexi said, coming outside, pushing a few stray strands of hair back from her face and tucking them behind her ear. “What did you want to know?”

 

“My sister tells me that, among your many abilities, you can…encourage plants to grow, even if they have been damaged,” T’Challa said, his expression serious.

 

“Yes,” Lexi said, explaining again that, provided there were viable seeds or part of a healthy root still in the ground, she could get it to grow. “Did you need my help with a plant?”

 

“You have heard of the difficulties we had last year with my cousin, N’Jadaka?” T’Challa asked. When Lexi and Bucky nodded, he continued. “When he temporarily took control of the country, the first thing he did was to destroy our most sacred plant, the heart-shaped herb. He burned it all.” He took a deep breath, his jaw clenching. “It is incredibly important to Wakanda. Without it, the power of the Black Panther dies with me.”

 

Lexi’s eyebrows shot up. “You want me to try and bring it back.”

 

T’Challa nodded slowly. “If you can.” He and Lexi locked gazes, and she saw the fear he was trying so hard to hide. If anything happened to him, there would be no way to pass the Panther’s power on to anyone else; his people would be left without a king—or queen—to wear the mantle.

 

“I can try,” Lexi agreed. “If there’s anything left of it, I’ll do my best to get it to grow.”

 

His relief showed only in the slight softening of the muscles in his jawline and the loosening of his shoulders. Shuri clapped her hands together, grinning widely.

 

“Is there a time that would be convenient for you to examine the site?” he asked politely, clasping his hands behind his back.

 

Lexi smiled at him; there was no way she would put this off, it was clearly of the utmost importance to both of them. “There’s no time like the present, is there, Your Highness?” she asked.

 

***

 

All four of them piled into Shuri’s hovercraft. “No guard this time?” Lexi asked, sneaking a sideways look at the King as Shuri steered them toward their destination.

 

“Shuri practically dragged me away from my office this morning,” he joked. “If you do not mind, they shall be waiting for us in the Hall of Kings, along with the tribal heads and the Priests who have been trying to bring back the heart-shaped herb.”

 

“Your priests are botanists as well?” Lexi asked curiously.

 

“They are,” T’Challa nodded. “For generations upon generations, they have been the caretakers of the temple, the rituals, and the holy plant. They were devastated when N’Jadaka set fire to it.”

 

“You need to stop calling him ‘N’Jadaka,’” Shuri said, shaking her head in disgust. “He was an outsider. His name was Erik Stevens. Or even ‘Killmonger’—“

 

“He was our cousin,” T’Challa said softly. “He was abandoned by our father and left an orphan to fend for himself. It never should have happened.” Shuri sighed, and T’Challa glanced at Bucky and Lexi. “My apologies. We have…conflicting feelings regarding our families’ actions.”

 

“Family is never easy,” Lexi said, huffing a cynical laugh and giving a half-shrug. “I was adopted by a mother and father who, it turned out, were reporting every move I made to the military—to a man I also considered family and who now wants to put me away in a cage and experiment on me. I’ve spoken to my birth mother, though I still have no clue who she really is, and my biological father is apparently so screwed up that she won’t tell me who he is, either.” She tilted her head in Bucky’s direction. “As far as family goes, Bucky’s the most well-adjusted of the two of us, I think. At least he’s got Steve.”

 

Bucky reached for her hand, squeezing it lightly. “We have each other, sweetheart,” he said. “And you have Steve, too, just as much as I do.”

 

“You two have each other, and your mother,” Lexi said, looking at Shuri and T’Challa. “You’re not actually doing too badly.”

 

T’Challa smiled. “No, we are not. I am grateful to have such strong women in my life.”

 

“And don’t forget Nakia,” Shuri said.

 

“I would _never_ forget Nakia,” the King grinned, “or I would never hear the end of it.”

 

Shuri snickered and flicked his ear as she continued to steer their way to the Hall of Kings.

 

***

 

They arrived at the City of the Dead and climbed out of the vehicle. Several other hovercrafts were already there, neatly lined up at the base of the hill. Lexi looked at the hilltops around her; trees and monoliths surrounded them, the largest of the stone edifices at the center top. “From here we must continue on foot,” T’Challa said, making his way toward a footpath, arched over by half a dozen arbors that led up to an opening in the largest of the enormous structures.

 

As soon as they entered, Lexi’s eyes began adjusting to the darkened interior. She could see quite a few people were there, waiting for them. Okoye stepped forward, giving Shuri and T’Challa both a stern look. “Next time,” she said softly, “tell me _before_ you leave the palace, if you don’t mind.”

 

“Sorry, I was excited,” Shuri said sheepishly. She then walked over to her mother and clasped her hands. “This could be the miracle we have been hoping for.”

 

An extremely large man, draped in furs, looked at Lexi with a quirked and skeptical eyebrow. “ _Ha na-achọ enyemaka nke onye mba ọzọ?_ ” (“They seek the help of an outsider?”) he asked the man next to him using the Jibari dialect. He turned to look at Lexi again, his head tilted in puzzlement. “ _Onye dị nnọọ nta._ ” (“A very tiny outsider.”)

 

Lexi smiled up at him, refusing to be intimidated. “ _Abụ m onye mba ọzọ n'ebe nile,_ ” (“I am an outsider everywhere,”) she replied with a shrug as his eyes widened in shock. “ _Ma ebe ọ bụla._ ” (“And nowhere.”)

 

“M’Baku,” T’Challa said to the large man, “this is Doctor Alexa Shaeffer and Sergeant James Barnes. They are our friends.”

 

“How does she speak our language?” M’Baku asked suspiciously.

 

“There is far more to her than meets the eye, as you shall soon see,” he replied with a smile before turning to his guests. “Doctor Shaeffer, Sergeant Barnes,” T’Challa said, leading them deeper into the monument, “welcome to the Hall of Kings.”

 

Bucky kept a firm grip on Lexi’s hand as they descended a staircase into a large, round room. Pillars and columns were set into a circular pattern and statues of panthers were placed at regular intervals. Around the outside of the circle, and cutting across the center of the space, Lexi could see large patches of blackened, charred soil that had been tilled and turned over.

 

Torches lit the chamber, and the scent of burned vegetation and incense hung heavy in the air. Scorch marks marred most of the pillars, though they seemed to be in the process of cleaning and restoring the space.

 

The others joined them, following them down the stairs and lining the outer walls of the room. Priests and priestesses in bright purple robes stood silently, their heads bowed.

 

“Doctor Shaeffer,” T’Challa whispered at her side. She turned to face him, and the King asked, “What do you think?”

 

She smiled, hoping to ease the worry that was evident in his voice. “I’ll see what I can do.” She gestured to the nearest bed of burned earth. “May I?”

 

“Certainly,” he said, leading her forward.

 

She knelt beside the ruined planting bed, with T’Challa on her right and Bucky on her left. She flexed and curled her fingers a few times before carefully digging her hands into the soil. “I need to get a feel for it, to see if there’s anything there that I can work with,” she explained. She sensed motion beside her as T’Challa nodded silently.

 

Lexi closed her eyes and concentrated on the earth under her hands. After a minute or so, she said, “The soil here is…so unusual. I felt it out at the _boma,_ but even more so here.”

 

“It is the vibranium,” T’Challa said. “It is infused in all the soil throughout Wakanda.”

 

It was a hard sensation to describe; it was almost as if she could feel the energy she sent into the earth being absorbed into healthy roots and responding. After a few more seconds, Lexi sat back and exhaled. She smiled at T’Challa and said, “Good news.” He merely raised his eyebrows, waiting, so she said, “The vibranium strengthened and protected the roots that are deep down in the soil. I can give them a boost to get them blooming, but even without my help, with proper care they would have grown back eventually.”

 

The priests and priestesses clapped in happiness, and the biggest smile Lexi had ever seen lit up T’Challa’s face. He bowed his head slightly and said, “I would appreciate that very much, Doctor Shaeffer.”

 

“Are you okay to do this?” Bucky asked her seriously.

 

Lexi smiled and looked up at the ceiling. “Yeah,” she relied, “but I’ll need to go back outside for a moment first.”

 

“You got it,” he said, getting to his feet.

 

Lexi and T’Challa stood as well, and she turned to him. “I need to go outside for a couple of minutes, but then I should be able to get them growing again.”

 

“Whatever you need, Doctor Shaeffer,” he agreed.

 

“I’ll need Bucky’s help to get back down here,” she told him, taking Bucky’s hand. “I might be a little out of it.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Lexi and Bucky climbed the stairs leading back out of the chamber as everyone else talked excitedly amongst themselves. By the time they were outside again, Lexi was chuckling a little. “No pressure, right?”

 

“That’s right, sweetness,” Bucky said, looking at her seriously. “There’s no pressure here. None. If it doesn’t work, that’s not your fault.”

 

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” she said, lifting on her toes to kiss him softly. “I just need to absorb enough energy to carry down there. Having the plants growing essentially inside a cave makes it a little tougher.”

 

“I’m right here,” he said, barely an arm’s length away.

 

“I am here as well, if you need assistance,” a voice said behind them. They turned to see Okoye waiting for them at the doorway.

 

Lexi smiled at her. “Thank you.” Okoye nodded and winked.

 

“Okay, here we go.” Lexi took a deep breath and exhaled, shaking her arms out a little before letting them drop to her sides, palms up. As her eyes slid shut, she whispered to Bucky, “Don’t let me do anything embarrassing, okay?”

 

He stepped forward and kissed her cheek with a little huff of laughter. “Okay, love.”

 

She smiled and began breathing deeply and slowly, feeling the energy all around her, feeling the power in the sunlight that surrounded her. She started to pull at it, pulling the energy to her and absorbing it, right out of the air. Her breath started coming faster, shallower, as the light filled her.

 

Once she was inundated, saturated, her hands shaking with the amount of energy coursing through her, she shuddered and her knees buckled; Bucky was there to catch her as she went completely limp. He clutched her to him, his arm holding her close. “Baby girl, can you hear me? Talk to me, Lex.”

 

She picked her head up from where it had fallen forward, resting on his shoulder. She opened her eyes slowly, dreamily; her irises glowed bright violet as she looked at him with a sleepy smile. “Hey, sweetie,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck and tucking her head into his throat. “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too, honey,” he said, wrapping his arm securely around her waist and turning her toward the entrance to the Hall. “Okay, let’s go grow some plants.”

 

Together, with Okoye’s help, they made it back down the stairs into the circular chamber where the heart-shaped herb grew. Upon seeing Lexi’s glowing, violet eyes, the priests and priestesses gasped and fell to their knees in prayer; Shuri and the Queen Mother Ramonda knelt as well.

 

“What is this?” M’Baku whispered in disbelief. Shuri smacked his arm and pulled him down to kneel next to them, his tribesmen following suit.

 

Once Bucky and Okoye got Lexi settled next to the planting bed again, Bucky brushed her hair back, over her shoulder. “Are you with us, sweetheart? Do you know why you’re here?”

 

“Yes,” Lexi replied calmly, smiling at the man with the concerned expression. She cupped his cheek and leaned forward, nuzzling him slightly. “I’m okay, I promise.”

 

His jaw tingled where her fingers trailed over his skin. When she pulled back, she saw his worry had lessened a little; he was smiling softly at her and nodding. “Alright, love.”

 

She turned her attention back to the soil in front of her and, with a deep breath, immediately drove her hands and most of her forearms down into it, as far as she could.

 

She concentrated on pushing the absorbed energy out of her hands, into the surrounding soil and the roots of the plants that were still there, deep down. She focused on the closest plants; there were many, and she could only concentrate on a few at a time.

 

She sensed some small motion behind her; Bucky was motioning or gesturing to someone outside her range of vision. Soon she felt it—the roots were moving, responding, sending new growth upwards toward the surface. She heard several people shout as the first shoots broke through and the stems began to thicken and branch out. Leaves unfurled and spread, and then, finally, two large, single blossoms budded forth and opened. The flower at the center of the heart-shaped herb glowed faintly, nearly the same violet color as Lexi’s eyes had been.

 

Suddenly she exhaled and fell forward, Bucky and T’Challa both reaching out to steady her. Together, they carefully pulled her arms free of the soil and laid her down on her side with her head resting on Bucky’s lap. “Hey, sweetheart,” Bucky whispered, combing his fingers through her hair, “can you open your eyes, baby?”

 

She hummed, sleepily patting his knee. “I’m alright. Jus’ tired.”

 

“Okay, love,” he chuckled, “but can you look at me for a second?”

 

Lexi opened her eyes slowly, rolling her head a bit to look up at him. “Hi,” she smiled.

 

“Hey there,” he said, looking at her intently. “Nice to see your pretty blues.”

 

“Nice to see yours, too,” she replied, reaching up to cup his cheek.

 

“Just rest for a few minutes, baby girl,” he said quietly, holding her hand to his face. She scratched lightly at his beard.

 

“My hands are filthy,” she said, getting distracted as she stared into his eyes.

 

He grinned and brushed the loose soil from her arms and hands. “I’ll get you cleaned up properly once we get home, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

They sat, speaking softly for a few minutes, as the others moved around them, talking excitedly. Eventually, he helped her sit up, and then he and T’Challa helped her slowly to her feet. She was leaning heavily against Bucky’s side, his arm around her waist, when Ramonda, the Queen Mother, came up to her and took Lexi’s face in both hands. “Bast has blessed us by bringing you here,” she whispered, kissing Lexi on both cheeks as tears streamed down her face. “You have restored the power of the Black Panther.”

 

Shuri was slightly more exuberant, hugging Lexi tightly around the waist as she cried. “Thank you, thank you,” she said, grinning from ear-to-ear. “You have no idea how much this means to us.”

 

“I can do more next time,” Lexi said. She was having a hard time holding her head up, so she just leaned into Bucky a little more and snuggled into him a bit.

 

“No way. No more than one at a time, baby doll. It takes too much out of you,” he said firmly. He turned to Shuri. “Got that? One at a time, no more.”

 

“Yes, yes, absolutely,” she replied, practically jumping up and down in her happiness.

 

Okoye came forward again to help Bucky get Lexi up the stairs and down the footpath to Shuri’s hovercraft. “God, I’m starving,” Lexi yawned, burrowing her face into Bucky’s throat.

 

“Go ahead and take a nap; I’ll make you something to eat when we get home,” he said, curling his arm around her and holding her close as they settled into the corner of the backseat and waited for Shuri to drive them back to the village.

 

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed sleepily, making herself comfortable, curled up across his lap and lying against his chest.

 

***

 

“Secretary of State Ross is here to see you, Boss.”

 

Tony looked up from his worktable, where he was making some adjustments to Rhodey’s exo-suit, meeting his friend’s confused gaze with his own. “What the hell does he want?” Tony asked his A.I.

 

“Apparently word has gotten around about Colonel Rhodes’ visit to the U.N. last week,” FRIDAY replied.

 

“Shit,” Rhodey cursed under his breath, his shoulders slumping. He pushed his chair back from the table and wheeled it around. “C’mon, Tones, let’s see what he wants.”

 

Tony set down his soldering iron and followed his best friend out of the lab and into the elevator. “How about if you let me do the talking?” Rhodey said as the elevator took them up to the main floor.

 

“My lips are sealed, Pumpkin,” Tony quipped.

 

Rhodes looked at his friend’s reflection in the steel doors. He stood with his hands in his pockets, a completely blank expression on his face. He sighed inwardly, almost wishing Tony would cause some trouble just for the hell of it; anything to get some of his old spark back.

 

The lift doors slid open, and there stood Thaddeus Ross, surrounded by his entourage, looking impatient. “Your system wouldn’t let me access the elevator,” he complained.

 

“Of course not,” Tony said with a puzzled expression. “That would be a horrible breach of security.”

 

“What can we do for you, Mister Secretary?” Rhodey asked, wheeling himself forward. He glanced up at Tony and saw the muscle in his friend’s jaw twitch just as he turned his attention back to Ross.

 

“Can we talk somewhere a little more private?” Ross asked, looking around.

 

“Right here is fine,” Tony answered, putting his hand on Rhodey’s shoulder. “After all, this isn’t going to take long, is it?”

 

There was no mistaking the bite in Tony’s voice. Rhodey knew the genius hadn’t forgiven Ross for his part in what had happened the previous year.

 

Ross looked at Tony with narrowed eyes for several seconds, before he exhaled slowly. “Fine,” he muttered, standing up straighter. “First off, I need to ask if you’ve spoken to any of the criminals that esca—“

 

“No. Next?” Tony said flatly, looking bored. Rhodey clamped his mouth shut and looked down at his hands, which were clasped in his lap, as he tried not to smile.

 

“Colonel Rhodes,” Ross said sharply, and Rhodey looked up to meet his gaze.

 

“Yes, Mister Secretary?”

 

“I understand you’ve spoken to the Wakandan government,” he said.

 

Rhodey felt Tony’s hand squeeze on his shoulder almost imperceptibly. “I had a nice conversation with King T’Challa,” Rhodey nodded.

 

“You do realize that any discussions with a foreign government fall under the purview of the State Department,” Ross drawled self-importantly. “Any negotiations you enter into require our presence.”

 

“We weren’t negotiating foreign policy, Mister Secretary,” Rhodey explained.

 

“Regardless,” Ross cut him off, “if you’re planning to visit Wakanda in any type of official capacity, I have to insist on accompanying you.”

 

“There’s no official visit, _Uncle Theo,_ ” Tony practically sneered. Rhodey cleared his throat as he watched Ross flinch at the name Lexi had used to address him. “It’s a business trip to discuss technology, nothing more.”

 

“Technology that could have military applications,” Ross asserted.

 

“Not by me,” Tony stated, “and not by Stark Industries. If you want to talk to the Wakandan government about military weaponry, find your own ride.”

 

“I know I don’t have to remind you that Wakanda signed the Accords, Stark, just like you did,” Ross said gruffly. “If any Inhumans or enhanced individuals cross his borders looking for asylum, he’s required to notify the U.N.”

 

“That’s something you’ll need to take up with him,” Tony gritted through his teeth.

 

Ross tilted his head slightly to one side. “Stark,” he said quietly. After a few seconds of complete silence, he asked, “Do you know where she is?”

 

“I haven’t heard from her, haven’t talked to her,” Tony said softly. He shook his head in disgust. “Can’t you just leave her alone?”

 

Ross just looked at him for a few moments. “I don’t suppose you followed those reports out of the Middle East.”

 

“What reports?” Rhodey asked, frowning.

 

“Multiple incidents, scattered all over the region. Tehran, Jordan, Cairo,” Ross murmured, “all reports of a woman—a different woman every time, mind you—singlehandedly taking out highly organized and well-armed groups and then— _poof!_ —vanishing into thin air. And then, about six months ago, they suddenly stopped.”

 

“ _Different_ women,” Rhodey stressed firmly. “You don’t have any proof that it was—“ Tony cleared his throat, cutting him off, “…anyone we know,” he finished softly.

 

Ross huffed a condescending laugh as both Tony and Rhodey looked at him with flat, blank stares. “I’ll find her, even if they are talking about her like she’s a ghost story. She can’t hide forever.”

 

“Wanna bet?” Tony muttered through clenched teeth.

 

“Tony?” a woman’s voice cut in.

 

All three men looked over as Pepper approached, and Tony felt the tightness in his chest loosen just a little.

 

It had taken a while, but things had improved between him and Pepper over the last year. Making Rhodey the official face of the Avengers had gone a long way to showing her that he was serious about improving his work-life balance, and he wasn’t going to lie, having her there went a long way to easing the ache caused by Bruce and Lexi’s absences. Not that he was looking for a replacement, mind you, but having someone to talk to, someone who knew and understood him—and liked him anyway—meant the world to him.

 

She came up to him and kissed both him and Rhodey on the cheek before turning to Ross. “Mister Secretary,” she said, extending her hand, “what a pleasure to see you.”

 

“Miss Potts,” Ross replied, shaking her hand briefly. “I was just here to discuss the State Department’s role in your upcoming visit to Wakanda.”

 

“How kind of you, but I’ve already spoken to the Office of Commercial and Business Affairs,” Pepper smiled. “All the paperwork has been filed and approved, so really, there was no need for you to come all the way out here. Everything has been handled.”

 

Ross’s jaw clenched, his face twisting like he was sucking on a lemon; Tony could practically hear his teeth grinding.

 

“Tony, James, I have some forms for you to sign,” Pepper said, directing the two men beside her toward the elevator before turning back to Ross. “Have a nice afternoon, Mister Secretary.”

 

As they walked away, Rhodey looked at Tony sideways. “Your lips are sealed, huh, Tones?”

 

“I thought I was remarkably restrained,” Tony smirked. “I didn’t even order him off the property this time. Speaking of which,” he said as they reached the elevator, “usual protocol, FRIDAY.”

 

They entered the lift as the A.I. answered. “Secretary Ross won’t be able to access any door but the exit, Boss.”

 

“Good work, Fri.”

 

As the elevator doors slid shut, Pepper asked, “Is he still looking for Lexi?”

 

“Yup,” Tony answered, popping the ‘p’ as Rhodey shook his head angrily.

 

“If all of those reports from the Middle East were Lexi, he’ll never stop searching for her,” Rhodey said. “She would be invaluable as a covert operative.”

 

“What a prick,” Pepper muttered. “If he ever does find her, I hope she kicks his ass.”

 

Damn, he was glad Pepper was back.

 

***

 

“Wake up, sweetheart,” Bucky whispered. “We’re home.”

 

“Mmm,” Lexi hummed, snuggling deeper into his embrace. Clearly, this was the best place to be and she had no reason or desire to move.

 

“C’mon, baby girl,” he chuckled. “Let’s get inside so I can feed you.”

 

“Food,” she mumbled into his throat. “Food would be good.”

 

“Why don’t you help her wash up while we prepare some lunch for you?” Shuri said as Okoye helped Lexi maneuver, rather unsteadily, out of the hovercraft.

 

“You don’t need to do that,” Bucky protested.

 

“Oh, please, this is nothing,” Shuri insisted. She looked at her two friends seriously. “You have no idea what you have done for us today, Lexi. This has weighed heavily on our minds since Killmonger desecrated the temple.”

 

“I’m happy to do what I can,” Lexi said, finally getting her feet back under her. “You’ve done so much for Bucky and for me.”

 

The group of four walked over to the new home, waving to the workmen who were still setting up the secondary building. The livestock pen was already finished, and several children were running around, goats and puppies chasing them playfully.

 

“How did you get the parts for the outbuilding completed so quickly?” Lexi asked, smiling at one of the boys who was busy climbing the large tree in their front yard.

 

“These are our standard building materials,” Shuri explained. “Readily available whenever we need them. I simply used the same pattern that I created for the exterior walls of your home and had them manufactured within a couple of hours.” She grinned slyly at Lexi. “No need to make those walls energy absorbent, am I right?”

 

“Pardon me?” Okoye asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Never mind, you gossipy women,” Bucky grumbled good-naturedly, holding Lexi’s hand and watching as she blushed bright pink.

 

“It was a valuable learning experience!” Shuri defended herself, trying not to laugh. “You two are the first to have a nearly one-hundred-percent vibranium home—I am very curious to see how well everything works.”

 

“What?” Lexi asked, in shock. “Are you serious?”

 

“What did you think we would use?” Shuri responded, chuckling. “Vibranium is completely vibration resistant and energy absorbent. Everything in your home—the walls, floors, fixtures, appliances, and furniture—is either solid vibranium or has it woven tightly through other materials.”

 

“Holy crap,” Bucky whistled through his teeth, looking at his new home with wide eyes.

 

“So keep me informed how everything holds up,” the princess said matter-of-factly, “and tell me immediately if something needs to be improved.”

 

Lexi looked like she was going to protest when Shuri held up a warning finger. “For research purposes,” she said. “Just because something works does not mean that it can’t be improved. Now,” she gestured to the front door, “let’s go inside and have some lunch.”

 

***

 

By mid-afternoon, both the pen and the outbuilding were finished. There was a doorway from the pen straight into the outbuilding so that the animals could take immediate shelter during inclement weather, and there was plenty of room to store food and supplies.

 

Bucky and Lexi waved as Shuri and Okoye drove off, back toward the city, and watched as the final latch was put on the gate to the new pen. “All set for baby goats,” Bucky grinned, happy to see the peaceful expression on Lexi’s face.

 

“All set,” she smiled softly, nodding in agreement. She turned to Bucky, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning against him when his arm circled her shoulders. “I think we’re going to be happy here.”

 

“I do, too, _malyshka._ I do, too.”

 

***

 

That night, they took each other apart, slowly and sweetly; lying on his left side, Bucky hitched Lexi’s left leg over his right hip and eased inside her. “I love you,” he whispered, brushing their lips together.

 

“I love…you, too,” she sighed, the welcome fullness taking her breath away.

 

Bucky curled his arm around her thigh, cupping her backside in his hand, keeping her close as he rocked gently into her. _“Milaya devushka,”_ (“Pretty girl,”) he murmured, nudging her chin with his nose and dragging his teeth along her jawline.

 

_“Moy krasivyy muzhchina,”_ (“My handsome man,”) Lexi replied, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck and shoulders. Her eyes fluttered closed at the soft, sweet scratch of his whiskers on her throat; his lips fastened on her pulse point, pulling a sound from her that had him smiling against her skin.

 

“ _Damn,_ baby girl, you make the prettiest sounds,” he rumbled, nipping her earlobe, causing her abdominal muscles to clamp down. _“Fuck.”_  

 

“Yes, please,” she breathed, tightening her left leg around Bucky’s waist.

 

“Mmm,” he hummed, the vibrations sending shivers through her. “My sweet girl, so good for me, so perfect.”

 

Lexi whimpered, sliding a hand up into Bucky’s hair and curling her fist. He growled, thrusting once _hard_ and pushing a cry of pure pleasure from her lungs. “Bucky!” she gasped, her head falling back.

 

“Yeah, wildcat?” he purred, kissing along her collarbones. God, she felt amazing; her body was so warm and welcoming, it was like they’d never been apart. The feel of her skin under his hand, so soft and silky, begged him to slow down and savor every second, every touch, burning every moment with her into his memory.

 

“I—I need,” she stammered, little panting breaths escaping her as she rolled her pelvis into every thrust of his hips.

 

“Shh, baby doll,” Bucky soothed her, trailing his fingertips up and down her spine. “I’ll take care of you, make you feel so good.”

 

“So good,” Lexi echoed dreamily, her eyes sliding shut as she burrowed into his throat. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with his scent, holding him as tightly as she could.

 

“Mm-hmm,” Bucky sighed, bringing his hand up to his face and licking his thumb. He snaked his hand deftly between their bodies, his wet digit unerringly finding her swollen clit and pressing down in gentle circles.

 

“Oh, Bucky!” Lexi cried, her muscles clenching. “Oh, fuck!”

 

“Yeah, baby girl,” he growled, “you like that cock? Squeeze me hard, angel. Make me feel how much you love it.” He chuckled darkly when she responded with a moan. “I know you love that filthy talk. Such a sweet, pretty girl, loves it when her gorgeous pussy is stuffed full.”

 

_“Jesus,”_ she keened, her hips jerking forward and her nails digging into his trapezius muscles.

 

“That’s it, _kotenok,”_ Bucky rasped, still massaging the sensitive bundle of nerves. “C’mon, _malyshka,_ fuck me.”

 

_“Nnngh,”_ Lexi gritted out between clenched teeth, snapping her hips as fast as she could. The pressure and the heat built and twisted in her belly, winding tighter and tighter as Lexi panted and moaned. “Oh, please, oh, my god, please,” she begged.

 

“Take it, baby girl,” he rumbled, thrusting harder as he felt his own pleasure cresting. “Fuckin’ beautiful, you are.”

 

“I’m so close, Bucky,” she gasped, her muscles clamping down. “So—oh, fuck!”

 

She went completely rigid, her head thrown back, at the same moment that Bucky felt the hot wave of energy move through his body. He groaned, his release pushing the air from his lungs in a rush as he tumbled over the precipice with her.

 

It was a sensation that he would never get accustomed to; searing, sparking heat, yet comforting and welcoming at the same time. It was like nothing else, like no other experience could prepare him for; and he knew, as they drifted off to sleep, that he could let everything else go, because Lexi would always be here to catch him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because--yikes--it's the last chapter I have completed. I am working on the next one, I swear, and I have a bunch more that are half finished, so hopefully the schedule won't be delayed.
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and comments; I need all the motivation I can to keep writing.
> 
> Any errors in translation (and there would be a few doozies, I'm sure) are the property of Google Translate. :)
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	16. Happy Holidays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it was almost on time. This is the first time I've ever written a chapter and posted it right away, so I'm not super-comfortable with it.
> 
> Please let me know if I screwed anything up too badly.

 

 

They settled easily into their new home and the next few weeks passed by very pleasantly. Despite being shouting distance from the nearest homes in the village, it felt like they were in their own little world. It was peaceful and beautiful and more than Lexi had expected a life in the country could be. There was joy to be found in the simplicity of it, and seeing Bucky so calm and relaxed as he went about his daily chores more than made up for the minor inconveniences.

 

The baby goats arrived—without pajamas, Lexi harrumphed—and skipped and jumped happily around their new playpen, while some of the village children ran about, puppies gleefully chasing after them. Lexi was holding Gichinga in her arms, laughing and scratching behind his ears as he tried to lick all over her face; it was loud and lively and Bucky couldn’t stop smiling.

 

The outbuilding was fully stocked, and Bucky had just finished clearing a large patch of ground in front of their hut so that Lexi could grow grass for them as needed. Apparently the goats were nearing the end of their mating season, and the villagers wanted to be prepared in case they had another large influx of babies to care for.

 

The staked out a space for vegetables, surrounding it with low fencing to keep the babies out, and planted seeds together. They agreed to let these grow without Lexi’s help—other than normal weeding and watering, of course—as there was no shortage currently in the village or the city market.

 

Neither Bucky nor Lexi had much in the way of personal belongings; several of the women from the village had brought over brightly colored rugs, pillows, and blankets to help decorate their home. Little by little, it became a warm and cozy haven for the two of them, serene and idyllic.

 

Lexi put her backpack, still full of weapons and ammunition, into the small closet in their bedroom. When she asked Bucky where his weapons were, he said, “We locked them in the Armory when I went into cryo. I guess they’re still there.”

 

Lexi had helped twice more with the heart-shaped herb, each time becoming easier and less taxing. Bucky was still insisting that she not do too much at a time; as there wasn’t a pressing need for the flower, Lexi agreed. Shuri and Okoye always accompanied them, took them home, and then stayed for lunch afterward.

 

T’Challa had accompanied them to the Hall of Kings once more; he was increasingly busy making sure the border field was secure and setting up adequate border crossing stations. Most of the people seeking to gain entrance to Wakanda so far were simply those trying to escape dangerous conditions in other countries with nothing more than the clothes on their backs; many were happy to secure safe passage elsewhere, most of the time to family members in safer locations. T’Challa did his best to ensure that everyone was treated with respect and dignity, that anyone who required it received medical attention, and that they were fed and sheltered until they were well enough to travel and be reunited with their loved ones.

 

One afternoon, after visiting the southern border station, T’Challa came through the village, stopping to talk to everyone and address any issues or concerns. “You seem to be adjusting very well to life as a farmer,” he grinned as he wandered through their front yard to greet them. “It agrees with you.”

 

“I think you’re right, Your Highness,” Bucky smiled in return, walking over to shake hands with the King. “Never thought this city boy would enjoy planting vegetables and herding goats so much,” he chuckled, “but here we are.”

 

Lexi waved. “You probably don’t want to shake my hand,” she laughed, wiggling her fingers before she wiped her hands on her cargo pants. “I’ve been playing fetch with the puppy.”

 

“I am never afraid to get my hands dirty,” T’Challa replied, clasping Lexi’s hands in both of his while the little pup barked and ran in circles around their feet. He bent down to pet along the chocolate brown puppy’s back. “Is this good boy going to be your helper?”

 

“His name is Gichinga,” Lexi smiled, nodding, “and I think he is.”

 

“He’s ridiculously attached to Lexi,” Bucky smirked, “not that I blame him.”

 

“He is clearly very intelligent,” T’Challa laughed.

 

“It’s still going to be a while before he’s ready to start herding,” Lexi said, crouching down to give the squirming puppy all the scritches, “but I think he’s going to be very helpful. ‘Cause he’s such a good boy, isn’t he? Yes, he is.”

 

Bucky snorted.

 

“Before this becomes even more precious,” T’Challa said, chuckling, “I did come here today with a purpose.” When Bucky and Lexi both gave him their attention, he continued. “I would like to invite you to dinner at the palace tomorrow evening.”

 

“This isn’t a state dinner or anything of that sort, is it?” Lexi asked, rising to her feet again.

 

“No, nothing like that,” T’Challa assured them. “It is a family dinner, with a few close friends invited to celebrate the summer solstice. Nothing official.”

 

“It’s so temperate here, I actually forgot about it being summer in December,” she mused, tossing the rope toy for Gichinga to fetch.

 

“This is our drier season,” T’Challa nodded. “We track our year through rainfall far more than temperature.”

 

“Either way, thank you for inviting us. We look forward to it,” Bucky smiled.

 

“Until tomorrow night, then.”

 

***

 

The following evening, dressed in nice but not-too-formal clothing, Lexi and Bucky walked outside to meet Ayo. “No weapons allowed in the palace,” Ayo reminded them cheerfully.

 

“Not a one,” Lexi grinned, holding her sleeveless arms out to the side and turning slowly around. Her long wrap skirt fluttered briefly as she spun. “Not even a thigh holster. Aren’t you proud of me?”

 

“Your lack of paranoia fills my heart with joy,” the warrior replied drily, but her eyes were sparkling and her lips curled up in a smile. She nodded toward the hovercraft behind her. “Get in.”

 

The ride into Birnin Zana was friendly, all of them chatting and ribbing each other good-naturedly as the sun set over the kingdom. Lexi had braided the sides of her hair to keep it out of her face, and Bucky repeatedly leaned over to kiss her cheek, her temple, and under her ear. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.

 

Lexi had pulled Bucky’s hair back into a neat ponytail and helped him shave and trim his beard; he had dressed in black slacks and a dark blue tunic that turned the color of his eyes nearly aqua. “You are incredibly handsome,” she replied with a smile, kissing him softly.

 

“Ugh, you two. Stop it,” Ayo groaned, rolling her eyes.

 

They arrived at the palace, which was draped in flowers and glowing brightly, welcoming them inside; they could hear the friendly chatter of voices carrying down the hallway as they approached the royal family’s dining room.

 

As they crossed the threshold into the warmly lit room, they could see roughly two dozen people milling about, smiling and laughing; suddenly a booming laugh rose above the other voices and brought both Bucky and Lexi to a complete halt. “Oh, my god,” Lexi whispered.

 

They both turned toward the source of the sound, and there, with T’Challa, Shuri, and Nakia, standing with his back to them, was a large blond man with a shoulder-width-to-waist ratio that they couldn’t possibly mistake for anyone else. T’Challa touched his companion on the shoulder, causing him to turn in their direction with a huge smile on his bearded face, and only then could they see that he hadn’t come alone; a tall, dark man, and a petite, platinum-blonde woman were also beaming at them.

 

“Steve!” Bucky blurted out happily.

 

Before Lexi could even blink, Nat had her wrapped up in a tight hug and was cursing her out very colorfully in Russian. “We were really worried about you,” she said finally, still holding her friend close.

 

“I was worried about me, too, for a while there,” Lexi sniffed, squeezing back just as hard and doing her damnedest to keep the tears that were welling up in her eyes from falling.

 

“You gonna let the rest of us have a crack at her anytime soon?”

 

“Hey, Sam,” Lexi chuckled, wiping under her eyes as Nat slowly released her. “I’ve really missed you guys.”

 

“Hey, Boo,” Sam murmured, folding her up against his big, warm chest. “Missed you like crazy, too, girl.”

 

“We sure did.”

 

Lexi turned her head to see Steve, looking at her with a fond expression, his hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “Hi, Steve,” she smiled shakily.

 

Sam turned her by her shoulders and nudged her toward Steve, and the tears started to fall in earnest. “I’m so sorry,” Lexi squeaked.

 

“None of that, sweetheart,” Steve said, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. “We’re just so happy that you’re safe.”

 

“So, Barnes, you treatin’ her right?” Sam asked, reaching over to shake Bucky’s hand.

 

“As well as I can, Tweety,” Bucky grinned, pulling Sam in for an unexpected hug. “How about you guys? Stoppin’ Steve from being stupid?”

 

“Not a chance,” Sam scoffed.

 

“Hey!” Steve laughed, slowly swaying from side-to-side with Lexi still tucked under his chin. “It’s been pretty quiet lately, I haven’t done anything reckless—“ Nat cleared her throat loudly, “—okay, nothing more reckless than usual, in a while.”

 

“Okay, I’ll give you that one,” Nat conceded with a smirk, leaning into Bucky for her own hug. “We’ve been laying low, regardless.”

 

“It’s actually been fairly calm for the last few months,” Sam shrugged. “I’m hoping that means the flow of Chitauri weaponry is slowing down.”

 

“It’s either a lack of volume, or,” Nat smirked, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows at Lexi, “word getting around about a certain unidentified woman causing all sorts of hell for some rather nefarious groups.”

 

“Just to be clear,” Sam said, folding his arms over his chest, “that was you in Cairo, right? Up on the rooftop?”

 

“Yeah, that was me,” Lexi admitted, nodding against Steve’s chest. “I wasn’t sure if any of you actually saw me.”

 

“I did,” Steve said, finally loosening his hold. “Took me a while to figure it out, though.”

 

“You did good,” Nat said quietly. “Saved our asses a couple of times.”

 

Lexi moved back to Bucky’s side, leaning into him as his arm slid around her shoulders. “Why’ve you been laying low?” he asked, frowning.

 

All three sets of eyes flicked briefly over to Lexi before returning to Bucky, who tightened his arm reflexively. Steve sighed. “Ross,” he murmured.

 

“Ross?” Lexi asked, her eyes widening.

 

“He’s been poking around for the last few months, claiming Accords business,” Nat said softly. “Following reports of the ‘unidentified woman,’ we think. Whether he knew it was you or just suspected it, we don’t know.”

 

“Either way, we need to avoid him just as much as you do,” Sam mumbled, smirking at Bucky and Lexi.

 

“How long have you been here?” Bucky asked. Both Steve’s and Sam’s beard were trimmed clean and close and all three of the visitors were wearing light, civilian clothing, so they’d at least had enough time to freshen up and change clothes.

 

“Just a few hours,” Steve grinned. “T’Challa was kind enough to set us up in our old wing.”

 

“I missed that bed, let me tell you,” Sam shook his head. “I’m gettin’ a good night’s sleep tonight.”

 

A few minutes later dinner was announced, and the group moved toward the sophisticated-yet-understated table; colorful blooms dominated, with bright green accents scattered about. Candles lent a warm glow to the assembly, everyone looking forward to a relaxing evening with good food and cheerful company. Once King T’Challa welcomed them all to their solstice celebration and the first course was served, individual conversations picked up again.

 

“Have you heard from Wanda lately?” Lexi asked Nat, who had insisted on sitting next to her. (She had slid into the chair as Steve pulled it away from the table, then smiled sweetly at him and said, “Go sit by your BFF. Lexi and I need some girl time.” Steve had huffed a good-natured laugh and sat on Bucky’s other side, Sam quickly taking the next seat down by Steve. “I don’t need to be hearing Nat’s brand of girl talk,” he murmured.)

 

“We have,” Nat nodded. “She contacts us every week. She’s doing well, spending most of her time with Vision,” she smirked, “while seeing the sights.” She narrowed her eyes a bit and smiled. “You’re not keeping track of her?”

 

“Well,” Lexi shrugged sheepishly, “my sat phone died, so I can’t trace any of you that way, and doing it the other way seemed a bit creepy and stalker-y, especially since she’s with Vision. There are some things that I really just don’t need to know.”

 

“I hear you,” the blonde woman agreed.

 

“How’s Clint?”

 

“He’s great, enjoying his so-called ‘retirement,’” she answered, before her eyes widened a bit. “I got new pictures of the kids,” she said, taking her phone out of her jacket pocket.

 

As soon as the most recent photo of two-and-a-half-year-old Nathaniel came up, Bucky was leaning over Lexi’s shoulder. “Oh, wow,” he chuckled. “Look at that little guy, he looks just like Clint.”

 

As they swiped through more pictures of Clint and his family, all of them happy and smiling, Lexi felt that familiar tug at her heart; she wanted to give Bucky a family so badly. She resolved, right then, that she would talk to Shuri as soon as possible to see if there was anything they could do.

 

***

 

They talked and laughed for several hours before the royal family bid everyone goodnight. With assurances that Steve, Nat, and Sam would be in country for at least a week and a half, Bucky and Lexi were shown to a guest suite in the palace. They knew the goats were bedded down for the night at home, and they would return in the morning to care for them.

 

As soon as the door to their suite was closed behind them, Lexi dragged Bucky into the spacious en suite and filled the bathtub for a nice, long soak. He sank into the hot water with a loud, drawn-out groan. “Oh, my god, I’ve missed this.”

 

“ _Yes,_ ” Lexi sighed, settling back against his chest and letting her head rest on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “Mmm,” she hummed, smiling softly. “This feels heavenly.”

 

They relaxed together, talking about everything and nothing, musing about their lives and their friends, lounging in the tub for nearly half an hour before pruney fingers and toes finally drove them from the water.

 

Within minutes, they were dry and ready for bed, snuggling together under the smooth, cool sheets. Lexi curled into Bucky’s side, his fingers trailing up and down her spine as he whispered softly to her; her responses coming slower and slower as she fell asleep. He watched her for several minutes, smiling at her peaceful expression, until he closed his eyes and drifted off as well.

 

***

 

Their friends stayed for two weeks, during which they celebrated Christmas with Lexi and Bucky and the rest of the villagers, who served _nyama choma,_ or grilled meats, and lots of different vegetables, rice, and flat breads. Lexi and Bucky made several large pots of pilau as a contribution to the party. Several of the men in the village brewed their own beer for the occasion, and Sam happily sampled as many as he could find.

 

When Steve, Sam, and Nat weren’t visiting with Bucky and Lexi, they could be found talking either to T’Challa or Shuri, updating their technology and determining where to continue looking for illegal weapons.

 

New Year’s Eve found them all back in Birnin Zana, where the royal family hosted a party and a fireworks show at midnight. Again, there were no foreign dignitaries, just family and friends, so the group was able to relax and enjoy the festivities. They danced, which Bucky was unsure of at first, finally relenting when Lexi led him onto the dance floor and said, “Just hold me close and sway to the music, love.”

 

“We’ve done that before,” he asked with a little smile, wrapping his arm around her waist, “haven’t we?”

 

“We have,” she confirmed, laying her head on his shoulder as the music swirled around them.

 

They danced slowly, just moving back and forth with the melody, sharing a kiss at midnight and, after a quietly whispered question to Shuri regarding the palace guest room construction (and being assured by the young genius that every room in the palace was highly reinforced), Lexi and Bucky rang in the New Year with a very satisfying celebration of their own.

 

***

 

“ _Bonjour,_ my name is Marc Joubert. I am trying to reach Monsieur Stark.”

 

Despite the heavily accented English, Tony had no trouble understanding the man on the phone; he was, however, having trouble understanding how a French man that he’d never heard of had gotten his private mobile number and was calling him from Paris, if Tony’s memory of international codes was correct and ‘00 33 1’ was still a Parisian area code.

 

“May I ask why you’re calling and how you got this number?” Tony inquired, his brow deeply furrowed in his confusion. Pepper raised an eyebrow at his obvious bewilderment.

 

“My previous renter, she gave me this number to call in case she did not return for her things. She told me to call Monsieur Stark after the New Year to let him know that his… _fee-zee-cal there-uh-peest_ —“ he pronounced the words very slowly, “—had left her belongings behind. She said he would come and get them.”

 

Tony stood up so quickly that his chair screeched across the floor; Pepper jumped, startled by the sudden movement.

 

“My physical therapist—what was her name?” Tony asked, his eyes wide.

 

“Fiona James,” Joubert replied.

 

“FRIDAY—screen, please,” Tony said. “All the info you can find on Fiona James in Paris for the last two years.”

 

There was very little actual photographic evidence for FRIDAY to show him; as usual, Lexi had wiped out as much of herself as she could find. He did locate a _Boîte Postale,_ a Post Office Box that she had rented on the Rue Lecourbe. A Scottish National Identification Card had been used to fill out the application, and the picture of the red-haired, green-eyed girl on the ID card that came up made Pepper gasp. Despite the differences in coloring, there was no mistaking the young woman’s facial features.

 

“Oh, my gosh, Tony,” she whispered. “That’s her, isn’t it?”

 

“Darn tootin’,” he replied, shaking his head. “James,” he chuckled, “should’ve guessed.” Turning back to his phone, he said, “Monsieur Joubert, was it?”

 

“ _Oui,_ Monsieur Stark,” he answered.

 

“Can you give me an address? I’ll be there to retrieve her things tomorrow.” Looking at Pepper, he smiled. “Fancy an unscheduled trip to Paris?”

 

***

 

The next afternoon, Tony, Pepper, and Happy entered a small but well-stocked bike shop on the Rue Blomet. The man who owned it, Marc Joubert, as Tony had learned from his research, had been in business for nearly thirty years; his wife and son helped him run the place. The son had been married for less than two years, and he and his new bride were expecting their first child in May. There were no military connections or activist ties that he could find; all in all, Tony found nothing to suggest that Joubert was anything other than who he claimed to be—a shop owner who had rented Lexi an apartment.

 

An older man that Tony recognized from the photos in his background check looked up from behind a counter. _“Bonjour,”_ he called out cheerfully. _“Comment allez-vous aujoud’hui?”_ (“How are you today?”)

 

 _“Nous allons bien, merci,_ Monsieur Joubert,” Tony replied, taking off his sunglasses with a smile and sliding them into his inside jacket pocket. _“Je suis Tony Stark. Tu m’as t_ _é_ _l_ _é_ _phon_ _é_ _hier.”_ (“I am Tony Stark. You phoned me yesterday.”)

 

“Ah, _bien s_ _û_ _r,_ of course,” Joubert replied, coming around the counter to shake his hand. “Thank you for coming.”

 

“Thank you for contacting me,” Tony replied. He introduced Pepper and Happy, and as they shook hands, he asked, “So, how did you come to know our mutual friend?”

 

“Fiona?” Joubert shrugged, then told the group how she had shown up one day while his son was moving out of the upstairs apartment; that she had said she was a Scottish exchange student looking for a room to rent. “She offered to pay in advance to rent the apartment for a year, and it saved me the trouble of taking out an advertisement,” he continued. “She seemed like a very nice girl.”

 

“She is,” Tony smiled wistfully. He pointed vaguely toward the ceiling. “The apartment is above us?”

 

“ _Oui,_ yes,” he nodded, turning back toward the counter. “Let me get the keys.” Once he had retrieved his keychain, he called out to someone that he would be right back. A response of _“Oui, Papa,”_ came from a back room. “My son,” he gestured toward the source of the voice. “He will watch the shop while we are upstairs.”

 

They walked to the very rear of the shop, where a staircase led up to a door. Joubert unlocked the door and went inside; a second doorway on the left opened to a set of stairs that went outside the building. “This is the entrance she used most often,” he explained, pointing at the exterior door. “She was very quiet, kept to herself when she was here. She traveled a lot, but never caused any trouble.” He chuckled. “I guessed, from the new locks that she placed on all the doors, that trouble was something she tried very hard to avoid.”

 

He led them inside the apartment. “I have not been up here since she left,” he told them. “She paid for another year for me to hold the room and her belongings. I had hoped she would return.”

 

“Oh?” Pepper asked. “Why is that?”

 

Joubert looked at her, his head tilted slightly to the side. “She always smiled when she saw me, when she saw any of us, really, was kind and polite, but…she seemed sad. Like she had lost something.”

 

“She did,” Tony murmured, looking at the stacked boxes in the corner of the room. He cleared his throat then, and gestured to the boxes. “We’ll, uh, we’ll get this out of here for you, okay?” 

 

 _"Certainement,”_ Joubert replied. “Take your time. I have no plans to let the room anytime soon.”

 

Tony nodded in understanding, and just as Joubert turned to go back downstairs, he said, “Thank you, Monsieur Joubert.” When the older man turned back with a questioning arch to his eyebrows, he continued. “Thank you for…for giving her a safe place to stay. That means a lot to us.”

 

“I hope she is alright,” Joubert said softly, looking at the three people in front of him. “She was very sweet, a very nice girl.”

 

Tony swallowed hard, and Pepper stepped in. “The last we heard, Monsieur, she is doing well. We have every reason to believe she’s safe and with people who care for her.”

 

“That is good,” the French man smiled. “She needed people.” He pointed to the door. “I will be down in the shop if you require anything.”

 

Once he was gone, Tony turned to the others as he took his sunglasses out of his jacket pocket. “Don’t touch anything yet, guys.” When they looked at him quizzically, he put his sunglasses back on and said, “FRIDAY, scan the room for booby traps.”

 

Looking around the room, every window was highlighted. “Don’t open the windows,” Tony said, getting closer to one. He could see the fishing line strung around it, looping down to the pin of a small canister on the floor.

 

“What the hell is that?” Happy asked, frowning.

 

“Not sure,” Tony said, pulling out a small pocketknife. “FRIDAY, is it okay for me to cut the line?”

 

“Yes, Boss, it’s just a simple trip line. The pin wouldn’t come out unless there was tension placed on it from the window being opened.”

 

“Anything else?” Tony asked, glancing around.

 

“I don’t see anything other than the windows,” FRIDAY answered.

 

“Thanks, Fri.”

 

After disabling all of the window traps and setting the canisters by the door to dispose of later, they moved to the boxes in the corner. Happy hefted the first two in his arms, saying, “Feels like clothes.”

 

“Here, let me take a look,” Pepper said, and Happy gladly handed them over.

 

After getting through several boxes of clothes, some books, computer equipment, a couple of large envelopes that held false IDs, and what could only be forgery supplies, there were two large containers underneath. Happy pushed at one of them with his foot and it shifted a couple of inches. “It’s heavy, whatever it is.”

 

Tony popped the top off and let it drop to the floor, shock clear on him face. “Oh, my goodness,” Pepper whispered.

 

“Holy shit,” Happy blurted out.

 

Half a dozen large caliber rifles were in the box, neatly packed away with boxes of corresponding ammunition. “Looks like our girl kept herself busy,” Tony said under his breath. Reaching over to the other large box, he lifted the lid. More of the same waited inside, though this box also held an assortment of smaller-caliber handguns.

 

“Do you think this is what Ross was talking about?” Pepper asked, peering at the assorted weapons with a concerned look.

 

“Most likely,” Tony nodded. Putting the lids back on the boxes, he turned to Happy. “Let’s get these out of here first.”

 

Once they had cleared the room of Lexi’s belongings, Tony went back inside one more time to see Monsieur Joubert. “We’re done upstairs,” he said to the shop owner. “It’s all yours.”

 

They shook hands and Joubert shrugged, saying, “Well, like I told you, I have no plans to let it anytime soon. I thought I would keep it open…just in case.”

 

Tony smiled at him. “You’re a good man, Monsieur.”

 

After the three had gotten back into their car and started the drive back to the airport, Tony leaned toward Pepper and said, “Find out if Monsieur Joubert owns the building, see if he owes anything on it. If he does, pay it off, make sure everything is in his name. Set up a college fund for the grandkid, too.”

 

“Tony…” Pepper started, but one look at Tony’s face had her smiling at him affectionately and picking up her StarkPad. “I’m not your assistant anymore. Haven’t been in a while, actually.”

 

“But you’ll help me out because you love me and you know I’m lost without you?” Tony said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

 

“I sent a message to FRIDAY—she’s taking care of it.”

 

Tony closed his eyes and sighed, his head falling to rest lightly against her shoulder. “Thanks, Pep,” he whispered.

 

“Any time, Tony.”

 

***

 

“We’ll try to get back as soon as we can,” Steve said, hugging Lexi tight.

 

She and Bucky had come to the palace to see Nat, Sam, and Steve off; they were heading back to the Middle East to follow up on some leads on an illegal arms deal. Luckily, this time, it wasn’t alien technology. “Just regular, run o’ the mill, human-made killing machines,” Sam had joked, packing the last of his clothes.

 

“Here are your new mobile phones,” Shuri, said, handing Nat a box with the devices inside, “and your improved foreign language translators. I’ve managed to cut the delay from .13 to .09 seconds.”

 

“Geez, that’s like an eternity,” Nat smirked.

 

“Thank you, Shuri,” Steve smiled as he released Lexi. “We really appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

 

“Just be careful, okay, punk?” Bucky quipped, stepping forward to hug Steve as best he could.

 

“I always am, jerk,” he responded, slapping his best friend on the back.

 

Sam snorted so hard that he started coughing; he was bent double, slapping himself on the chest and trying to breathe normally as Bucky nodded, his lips clamped shut and a highly skeptical look on his face. “Really,” he said flatly.

 

“I always try to?” Steve tried again, looking sheepish.

 

“Really.”

 

“Whatever, shut up.”

 

“Anyway,” Nat said, hugging Bucky and then Lexi, “we need to get a move on if we’re going to meet my contact on time.”

 

They stood and watched the quinjet take off; as it disappeared from sight, Shuri said, “I need to get back to the lab. The delegation from the United States will be here next week.”

 

“They will?” Lexi asked, turning to face her. When Shuri nodded, she asked, “Do you know who’s coming?”

 

“We received the final manifest this morning,” she said. “It is a very small group making the trip—only Colonel Rhodes, Miss Potts, and—“ she grinned, “Mister Anthony Stark.”

 

Lexi grinned. “They’re coming,” she murmured.

 

“Hey,” Bucky said, turning Lexi to face him. “What are you thinking?”

 

“That…I’ll get to see my friends,” she replied, as if it should be obvious.

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he frowned.

 

Lexi narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw. Seeing the sudden tension between the two of them, Shuri stepped back and said, “I’ll just be on my way.”

 

“Wait!” Lexi blurted. “I, uh, I wanted to—to talk to you about something.”

 

“ _We’re_ talking,” Bucky said lowly.

 

“No, we’re really not,” she retorted, shaking her head. “They’re my friends. This isn’t up for discussion.”

 

“It’s not?” he asked, taken aback. “Tony wants me dead, and you’re planning a happy reunion with him? This isn’t something we should talk about?”

 

“He doesn’t want you dead,” Lexi said flatly. “You’re being a little over-dramatic.”

 

“He should!” Bucky exclaimed.

 

They stood, looking at each other silently for a few seconds, before Lexi sighed and said, “You don’t really believe that.”

 

He dropped his eyes to the floor, looking ashamed. “I'm trying, but it’s hard, sometimes,” he whispered.

 

Lexi reached up, cupping his cheek in her palm.

 

“Lexi,” Shuri said softly behind her, “I do need to go. Can we talk later?”

 

“Yeah, of course,” Lexi said, smiling a little sadly. “It wasn’t important.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 5 weeks to Captain Marvel! So only 12 weeks until Endgame! AAAGGGHHHH!!
> 
> I might have this story finished by then. You never know. ::shrug::
> 
> Thank you all for your continued encouragement!
> 
> Any errors in translation are the property of Google Translate. :D
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	17. Tony Comes to Wakanda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lord Almighty. I'm sorry this took so long to post. RL and a definite lack of imagination slammed me. I'm not even joking when I say I finished this chapter about 30 minutes ago, did a quick proofread and edit, and here it is. I apologize if it seems rushed or if there are any mistakes I didn't catch.

 

_Training with Okoye this morning. I’ll be back after lunch._

 

Bucky sighed as he read the note on the kitchen table. Yeah, Lexi was still kinda pissed at him.

 

They had returned to their home yesterday after leaving the palace, neither of them bringing up the dark cloud that had settled over them. They had both been subdued for the remainder of the evening, the subject remaining unbroached even as they settled into bed.

 

He knew, in his head, that he was being ridiculous. T’Challa would never allow anything to happen to Lexi during Tony’s visit, and Lexi wasn’t the type to let herself be swayed by other people’s opinions. This didn’t change the fact that his stomach hurt every time he thought about Tony coming to Wakanda. He couldn’t stop replaying the words that had been growled angrily into his ear while held in an iron chokehold:

 

_“Do you even remember them?”_

 

There’s no way Tony could have known what those words would mean; every target, every successful mission, played out in his subconscious every night, ensuring that he would never forget a face or a name. It was only through massive amounts of therapy and mental training that he had been able to learn how to quickly separate his dream state from his conscious self. Of course, now he had Lexi; waking up next to her grounded him faster than anything.

 

So it was not exactly pleasant to dream again about Howard and Maria Stark’s final moments and then wake up alone.

 

He went automatically about his morning routine—get dressed, have breakfast, let out and feed the kids, do chores—but there was a nagging heaviness on his shoulders, weighing him down. He was just finishing tidying up the supplies in the outbuilding when a voice interrupted him.

 

“Hey.”

 

Bucky whipped around, surprised that anyone had been able to walk up behind him without him noticing. Lexi was leaning against the doorway, still dressed in workout clothes, watching him.

 

“Hey,” Bucky responded, somewhat lamely. He cleared his throat. “You’re back earlier than I expected.”

 

“Okoye kicked me out,” Lexi admitted with a sigh and a rather chastised expression. “Apparently I was too distracted and too emotional to be of any use today.”

 

“I feel like that might be my fault,” he said, a little crease forming between his eyebrows.

 

Lexi exhaled forcefully. “If it is, it’s just as much my fault. We’re both being stubborn.”

 

“It’s just—“ Bucky began, before stopping abruptly. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he said, “I’m scared.”

 

Lexi frowned at him. “Of what? Of Tony?”

 

“I’m scared that Tony will somehow convince you to go back to HQ with him,” Bucky replied quietly. “That you’ll decide that you’d be happier at home back in the States.”

 

“I could have gone back any time I wanted,” Lexi shook her head, “but HQ isn’t my home.” She took a few steps forward, getting closer to the man she loved. “You are my home. Wherever you are is where I want to be.”

 

“For how long, though?” he asked, his brows arched with worry.

 

“As long as you need or want,” she said firmly. “I’m going to visit with Tony, because he’s my friend. I’ve missed him and I’ve never felt particularly good about how I left HQ. I made a big mess on my way out that he had to clean up and I need to apologize.” A smirk played at the corners of her lips. “He’s not going to throw me over his shoulder and force me to leave with him, and he’s not going to be able to sweet-talk me into it, either.”

 

He gave her a crooked little smile. “Is Tony not allowed to sweet-talk you?”

 

“You’re the only one that gets to sweet-talk me into anything, goofball.”

 

“You know,” he murmured a few seconds later, looking at her with a soft expression, “if you do ever want to go back, I’d go with you.”

 

Lexi huffed a laugh and closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tight. “I know, but I would rather that we both be happy right here.”

 

Bucky circled her shoulders and held her close, relief washing over him as he exhaled shakily. “Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”

 

“Same, big guy.”

 

***

 

“Try not to piss anyone off.”

 

“Oh, Rhodey of little faith.”

 

“At the very least, do your best not to cause any international incidents.”

 

“ _Et tu,_ Pep? I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.”

 

Two sets of unimpressed eyes were leveled in his direction. A strawberry-blond eyebrow was quirked.

 

“ _Ugh._ Fine.”

 

Tony’s knees had been bouncing since the three had boarded the Wakandan jet in Rome. It was more luxurious than even Tony’s own personal Boeing 737-4B7 and faster than a quinjet. A male attendant in a smart dark blue suit had served them drinks and some light refreshments as they raced across the sky. Tony stared out the window, watching clouds drift by as they flew over Europe and Africa.

 

“Tones, we need you to be on your best behavior. I’m here as an official envoy from the Avengers, and—unofficially—as an ambassador from the U.S. Air Force. Pepper is here because she’s the CEO of Stark Industries. You’re here as a consultant to discuss technology that the Wakanda Design Group might be willing to share with us. This is important. Please don’t mess this up.”

 

Tony turned his best approximation of a sincere expression on to the two people sitting on the jet with him. “I promise, I will do my best not to annoy, piss off, anger, or insult any of the fine people we meet with during our visit.” When Rhodey and Pepper both appeared satisfied with this statement, he added, “I’m really only interested in meeting this Shuri person. There’s, like, no information available on her anywhere—other than that she’s the King’s sister and a genius.”

 

“From what little we’ve seen of her work, I think it’s safe to say she’s at least as smart as you are,” Pepper said. “So don’t be condescending.”

 

“I would never,” Tony gasped in false outrage, to which both Pepper and Rhodey rolled their eyes.

 

“And Tony…” Pepper trailed off. Tony looked over at her, his brow furrowed. She sighed. “I know you want to ask about Lexi, but you can’t—not right away, at least.”

 

“I wasn’t going to—“

 

“Yes, you were,” Rhodey said quietly. “We’re just asking you to wait until after we’ve spoken to King T’Challa before you start interrogating him.”

 

“And even if she is here,” Pepper reminded him, “he may not tell you.”

 

“I just—“ Tony blurted. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, before he continued. “I just want to be sure that she’s alright.”

 

“We know,” Pepper smiled.

 

***

 

“Are you sure about this?”

 

“Yes, I’m sure.”

 

“Absolutely positive?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Are you two working on anything?”

 

“Shuri and I are going to design a new battery for my satellite phone. My charger isn’t compatible with the vibranium power cells, so we’re making a new one.”

 

“She would probably just give you a phone, you know.”

 

“I know, but I like my phone. It has…stuff…on it. That I don’t want to lose.”

 

“Like illegal spyware?”

 

“Don’t knock it. It’s handy.”

 

“Okay,” Bucky nodded. He tilted his head as Shuri pulled up outside. “I’ll see you later?”

 

Lexi kissed him softly. “Yes, you will. I promise.”

 

***

 

“We will be landing in ten minutes,” the attendant told them with a pleasant smile as he began to clear glasses and dishes. “Please fasten your seatbelts.”

 

“Thank you,” Pepper said politely, the two men echoing her statement.

 

They hovered over a large, green field and slowly dropped to touch down. The jet landed without a single bump or jostle, and it was only the gentle hum of the plane powering down that indicated that they were even on the ground.

 

Tony looked out the window again. “Not exactly what I expected,” he murmured, taking in the large, open space. There wasn’t a single building in sight. Or any other vehicles. Or people.

 

“That’s…odd,” Rhodey agreed.

 

“We do apologize for any possible disorientation,” the attendant said cheerfully as he approached the front of the cabin. Lights overhead brightened as the windows darkened, the pressure in the cabin stabilizing before he pressed a button to open the door and lower the stairs. “Your luggage is being unloaded and will be taken directly to your suites.”

 

“Unloaded by whom? Where are we?” Tony asked, getting to his feet and stepping to the exit. His mouth dropped open and he looked around in shock.

 

“Welcome to Wakanda,” the man grinned, clearly enjoying Tony’s stunned expression.

 

Tony began to descend the short staircase, taking in the surreal scene before him. They had not landed in a field; they were, in fact, smack-dab in the middle of a very modern-looking city, tall buildings surrounding them, vehicles and people scurrying about. Immediately before them was a grand, regal-looking building that was conical in appearance; it was reminiscent of the older huts of Africa, though definitely made of far sturdier materials.

 

“What on Earth?” Pepper’s voice jolted him out of his momentary paralysis, and Tony turned to take her hand as she came down the stairs behind him.

 

“Whoa.” Rhodey’s voice followed them as he carefully made his way out of the jet.

 

“For security reasons, we must keep our flight path classified,” the attendant said, pressing a few buttons and joining them on the ground. When he could see that Tony was about to burst from curiosity he grinned and said, “There will be lots of time for questions. For now, Mister Stark, Miss Potts, Colonel Rhodes, please allow me to introduce to you King T’Challa of Wakanda.”

 

He gestured toward a group that was walking toward them from the largest of the buildings, led by the King himself. “Welcome, everyone, to Birnin Zana, the capital of Wakanda.”

 

“Your Highness,” Rhodey said, beginning to bow.

 

“That is not necessary, Colonel Rhodes,” T’Challa chuckled. “We don’t do that here.”

 

He shook hands with the Americans instead, then turned and said, “Please, come inside. I would imagine you have a few questions.”

 

***

 

After taking a few minutes to freshen up, the four sat in T’Challa’s office, having coffee and a bite to eat. “You must be curious about your flight here,” T’Challa grinned.

 

“You could say that,” Tony quipped. “It’s not often that I’m surprised by technology. That was really something.”

 

T’Challa explained that since they needed to keep their flight path classified, once the plane was over the open water of the Mediterranean, the windows became a screen, upon which a simulation was projected. “We’ve found it to be less…distressing…than to simply black out the windows.”

 

“It was very effective,” Rhodey nodded, impressed.

 

“A simulation that detailed must be incredibly complex,” Tony said, his eyes starting to gleam at the thought of new technology.

 

“Quite,” T’Challa agreed. “It took my sister nearly a full day to complete.”

 

Tony sat, blinking several times, before he shook his head slightly. “’Nearly a full day to complete’?” he echoed in disbelief. “But—but—the calculations, the variables—“

 

“I think we may still have one or two more surprises in store for you,” the King smiled, only a little smugly.

 

Pepper and Rhodey jumped into the conversation at this point, discussing what the Avengers and Stark Industry were hoping to accomplish with their visit. T’Challa seemed quite pleased that the two envoys were far more interested in medical research, defense, and stealth capabilities that could be integrated into their existing tech, rather than looking for weaponry.

 

“My sister, I am proud to say, has a great many ideas to share with the world,” he said, turning to Tony. “I know she is looking forward to meeting you, Mister Stark.”

 

Just as Tony opened his mouth to respond, Rhodey jumped in. “Before we move on to meeting your sister,” he said, “I would like to ask about how your asylum program is going.”

 

Tony looked at him, surprised, as did T’Challa, though he covered it easily. “It is going well,” he nodded. “We did what we could to ensure border security, but the entry points have had no difficulties.”

 

“Secretary of State Ross—“ Tony made a scoffing noise that Rhodey chose to ignore, “—may try to contact you regarding any enhanced individuals that try to seek refuge here.”

 

“We do not ask whether someone in need is enhanced, Colonel Rhodes,” T’Challa said politely but firmly. “We offer food, shelter, and safety as they decide where to go from here.”

 

“So if an enhanced person was here, you wouldn’t tell Ross?” Tony asked, his eyes sharp and serious.

 

“I would not tell _anyone_ without an extremely good reason—not without the individual’s permission,” T’Challa replied, his tone allowing for no argument.

 

Tony nodded, trying not to let his disappointment show. “If one was trying,” he waggled his head back and forth, thinking about how he wanted to word this, “to get in contact with a friend that may or may not be seeking asylum here,” he frowned slightly, “would a letter be out of line? Would you be willing to pass on a message?”

 

“I cannot make any promises,” T’Challa answered, “but I would consider the source the message came from. If it was truly from a friend,” he looked at Tony very directly and with a sharp gaze, “I might be persuaded.”

 

Tony gave a little half-smile. “Understood.”

 

“Now,” T’Challa said, getting to his feet, “if you are ready, why don’t I introduce you to the head of the Wakandan Design Group?”

 

The three visitors rose also and agreed, making their way into the main hall of the palace, where they were joined by the King’s Guard. T’Challa spoke to one of his men, saying, “Please inform Shuri that we are on our way.”

 

“Right away, Your Highness,” the man bowed, turning and walking away from the group.

 

“We will be taking the Mag-Lev transport to the laboratory,” T’Challa explained as they approached a personal railcar outside the palace. Once everyone was seated, he began to explain how the rail system connected Birnin Zana with most of the tribes and villages throughout Wakanda; as they crossed the river on the edge of the city, he pointed out the seat of the River Tribe, as well as other interesting sights. After a few minutes, he indicated a rather large mountain in front of them.

 

“This is Mount Bashenga, home of the Wakandan Design Group,” the King said.

 

The transport system began to slow, and the visitors looked around. On one side was an active vibranium mine, on the other was a very high-tech building, parts of a lab visible through the large windows. “Holy crap, guys, we’re in the Bat Cave,” Tony whispered as the car came to a stop.

 

One of the guards with them raised an eyebrow in Tony’s direction before opening the compartment door and leading them onto the platform. They could already hear loud music from inside the lab; a wailing slide guitar and a heavy drumbeat had Tony smiling broadly before he took even two steps.

 

“Oh, I like this woman already!” he grinned at his friends, who were both squinting a little at the volume of the music. T’Challa simply rolled his eyes, a long-suffering smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

 

 

_Yeah, I am the jigsaw man,_

_I turn the world around_

_With a skeleton hand, say_

_I am electric head_

_A cannibal core_

_A television said, yeah_

_Do not victimize_

_Read the motherfucker_

_Psychoholic lies, yeah_

_Into a psychic war_

_I tear my soul apart_

_And I eat it some more, yeah_

_More human than human,_

_More human than human—*_

 

*(“More Human Than Human,” by White Zombie, written by Sean Yseult, Jay Yuenger, and Rob Zombie, released 1995 on the album _Astro-Creep: 2000_ )

 

 

They entered through the main door and proceeded down the hallway toward the source of the music, coming upon a large room filled with tables and screens. Bent over one worktable, pushing and pulling holographic screens around, were two women, both nodding their heads in time with the music as they worked with what looked like a disassembled cell phone battery. One of them, a rather young Wakandan woman, leaned over and said something to the other, and the second woman laughingly picked her head up to respond.

 

“Holy shit,” Tony said under his breath. The guard accompanying them looked at him sharply, seeing his stunned expression. Pepper and Rhodey both stopped as well, their mouths dropping open in shock.

 

T’Challa simply smiled and said, “I believe there may be more than one person here you have been hoping to see.”

 

Lexi saw the group at the doorway and froze, her jaw dropping slightly. She reached over to a holographic screen and touched a control; the music stopped immediately.

 

“What are you doing? I like that one,” Shuri protested, frowning until she saw Lexi’s face. Shuri then turned and saw what had grabbed her attention. “Ah, our visitors have arrived!”

 

“Lexi?” Pepper was the first one to speak, the disbelief in her voice obvious.

 

Lexi responded, or tried to, anyway. “Hey,” she whispered.

 

Even though she had known they were coming, it was an absolute punch to the gut to see them all again, not knowing how they would react to her being there.

 

It was the uncertainty of her tone that snapped Tony out of his stupor. He swallowed hard and frowned in that way of his that absolutely screamed, _“I’m having sudden feelings that I wasn’t expecting and I don’t know what to do with them,”_ shook his head sharply, then blinked a couple times to clear the moisture on his lashes. “You—you’re—“ he stammered, his voice rough. He looked away for a moment, but before Lexi could say anything, he flung his arms open wide. “Get over here,” he murmured.

 

Lexi took a shaky breath and then walked across the room and right into Tony’s arms, hugging him as hard as he was holding her. “Hi, Tony,” she whispered.

 

“You are so grounded, Missy.”

 

Lexi laughed tearfully, her face buried against his shoulder. “Okay,” she nodded.

 

“No TV, no phone, no sleepovers for a week, understood?”

 

“Got it, Dad.”

 

“Sciencing without me, I can’t believe you. And don’t call me ‘Dad.’ You’re older than I am, dammit.”

 

“Sorry,” Lexi chuckled, wiping under her eyes.

 

“She’s _what?_ ” Shuri shrieked.

 

Ignoring the outburst, Tony continued. “Also, Monsieur Joubert is worried about you, _Fiona,_ ” he drawled. “Drop the poor man a line and let him know you’re okay.” He pulled back to look at her with a frown. “And what the _hell_ were you doing with all those guns, young lady?”

 

***

 

Rhodey and Pepper both hugged Lexi, thrilled that she was there and safe. Soon the two, plus T’Challa and Shuri, stood together around a workstation, talking politely about general ideas for technology for nearly half an hour. Lexi and Tony sat on the floor, leaning against the wall under a window overlooking the vibranium mine, their fingers entwined and Lexi leaning her head on Tony’s shoulder, hugging his right arm.

 

“So how old is this kid?” Tony asked. “Fourteen? Sixteen?”

 

Lexi poked him in the ribs, making him squeak. “She’s eighteen, smartass.”

 

“Eighteen? Like, _really_ eighteen? Or eighteen the way you look twenty-six?”

 

“She’s really eighteen and she’s really fucking brilliant, so be nice.”

 

“I’m always nice,” Tony said, causing Lexi to snort in response. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered into her hair.

 

“I’ve missed you, too,” she responded, still sniffling a little. “I’m sorry I left the way I did. I made a mess of everything and then bailed on you.”

 

“I should have seen how much you were hurting, but I was so busy trying to pretend like everything was okay that—“

 

“It’s not your fault, Tony,” Lexi frowned. When Tony huffed a skeptical-sounding laugh, she amended her statement. “Okay, it wasn’t totally your fault. All of you guys should have handled it differently. It’s not like I was forthcoming about what was going on in my head, either. I planned for months without confiding in anyone.”

 

“I’m still pissed that you broke FRIDAY’s security protocols even after you promised that you wouldn’t,” he said, though his words were softened by his smile.

 

“How is FRIDAY?”

 

“Sassy as ever.”

 

“Good.”

 

They sat quietly for a few seconds, Tony brushing his thumb over the back of Lexi’s hand. “So you’re happy here?” he asked finally.

 

She nodded, her cheek rubbing against the fabric of his jacket. “I am. It’s quiet here.”

 

“Quieter than the Middle East?”

 

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Yeah. I don’t think I’ll be doing that anymore.”

 

“Probably a good idea,” Tony murmured. “Ross knows it was you.”

 

“What?” Lexi asked, her head popping up in surprise. “How?”

 

Tony looked at her, his lips pursed slightly. “Ross may be an asshole, but he’s not stupid. He knows what you’re capable of and he figured it out.”

 

“Well, shit.”

 

“You’ll be safe if you stay here,” Tony said, though he added, “or if you want to come back to HQ. You know, if you want. We can protect you there, too.”

 

Lexi gave him a sad smile. “I think it would be easier for you if I stayed here for the time being.”

 

He nodded slowly and said, “I don’t…blame him for what happened anymore.”

 

“No?” she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

 

He shook his head, a little furrow creasing his forehead. “I saw what Hydra did to him. It was…unimaginable.”

 

“Please don’t tell me.”

 

He kissed her temple. “Not ever.”

 

“Maybe someday, when things settle down,” Lexi said softly, “maybe we’ll come back.”

 

“I could start, you know, working on clearing his name,” Tony said, nudging her slightly. “So that if you do decide to come back, you wouldn’t need to worry about that.”

 

“That’s really nice of you, Tony,” she replied. “I’ll ask him.” When he nodded silently, she asked, “Do you want to see him? Talk to him yourself?”

 

“Mmm,” he hummed, his nose wrinkled, “that may not be a great idea. I don’t know if I’m quite ready for that yet.”

 

“What about Steve and Nat and Sam? Have you been talking to them?”

 

“Also a nope. Cap and I just…” Tony sighed. “We just keep pushing each other’s buttons and pissing each other off. It’s gonna take a while.”

 

“That’s okay,” Lexi said, hugging his right arm again. “We’ll work things out. We have time.”

 

He smiled, looking almost peaceful. “All the time in the world.”

 

***

 

“So you emptied out the apartment in Paris?”

 

“Yeah. Monsieur Joubert hadn’t touched anything. He cares about you. Good guy.”

 

“Yeah, he is. Thank you.”

 

“No problem, sweetheart. I took Pep and Happy. We made a nice little trip out of it.”

 

“Did you de-activate the flash bombs under the windows?”

 

“Of course, we did, silly goose.”

 

***

 

Once they finished their private chat, Tony and Lexi joined the others to talk technology. Tony stayed conspicuously close to Lexi, constantly reaching out to touch her hands or put his arm around her shoulders for a quick squeeze.

 

She talked to Rhodey about his exoskeleton, which he assured Lexi wouldn’t have been possible without her input. “Tones wanted to put drink holders and rocket shoes on it,” he snorted.

 

“I still think it was a good idea,” Tony mumbled.

 

“Have you made any improvements to your armor lately?” Lexi asked.

 

“Yeah, some,” Tony said, waggling his head back and forth. “I feel like maybe it’s time for another big upgrade, though. Something different.”

 

Lexi and Shuri looked at each other, grinning. “Have you considered…nanotech?” Lexi asked, smiling when Tony’s eyebrows climbed up into his hairline. “Sound interesting?”

 

“Oh, my, yes, Doctor Shaeffer,” he chuckled, fanning himself like a Southern belle. “You know how I get all hot and bothered when you start discussin’ fancy technology.”

 

“Oh, my god,” Rhodey murmured, shaking his head. Pepper simply rolled her eyes and smiled.

 

“Would you mind, Brother, if I showed Mister Stark your latest suit?” Shuri asked T’Challa.

 

“Certainly not, Shuri,” he answered with a smile. “I would never deprive you of the opportunity to display your brilliance.”

 

“You get smarter every day,” she grinned, patting her older brother on the cheek before turning to their guests. “Please, follow me.”

 

***

 

“His entire suit is stored in this necklace?” Tony asked, gently skimming his fingers over the claw-shaped charms on the mannequin.

 

“It is,” Shuri responded, showing him how it retracted back into the storage compartments within just a few seconds.

 

“That is…seriously cool.” He walked around the mannequin, looking at the charm necklace critically. “Can they all be in one storage unit, rather than spread out like this?” he waved his finger over the necklace.

 

“Of course,” Shuri nodded. “It might extend total deployment and retraction time by a few hundredths of a second, though.”

 

Tony hummed thoughtfully. “Have you done any flight tests?”

 

“No,” Shuri frowned. “That would be something I would need to research. They can store and redistribute kinetic energy, but they communicate wirelessly, of course. Wireless transmissions, radio waves among them, are affected by gravity; variations in gravity could negatively effect its responsiveness and connectivity and make its bonds much easier to break.” She gave Tony a quirked eyebrow. “I would keep a nanotech suit below the mesosphere if I were you.”

 

“Nanotech suit in outer space is a bad idea,” he agreed. “Noted.”

 

“But now I have all sorts of new ideas,” Shuri said, tapping her finger on her chin.

 

“Perhaps,” T’Challa interrupted, “we can discuss this more tomorrow. Our guests have had a long day, and undoubtedly need dinner and rest.”

 

“I think a fresh start tomorrow is an excellent idea,” Pepper smiled.

 

“Will you be joining us for dinner, Doctor Shaeffer?” T’Challa asked.

 

“I think I’d better get home,” Lexi demurred, “help out with the evening chores.”

 

We will see you tomorrow, then?” Shuri asked. When Lexi nodded, she said, “Tell your farmer I said hello.”

 

“Farmer?” Tony blurted, a look of shock of his face. “You’re _farming?_ On a _farm?”_

 

Lexi rolled her eyes. “We’ll talk more tomorrow, Tony,” she said, hugging him tight. “I promise.”

 

She was hugging Pepper and Rhodey when Ayo walked in. “Come, _Khosi,_ I will take you back to the village,” she smiled.

 

“Thank you,” Lexi replied, turning back to the others for a moment. “I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

 

As she walked out with Ayo, Lexi heard Pepper ask, “What does ‘Khosi’ mean?”

 

“It is a nickname the Dora Milaje have given Doctor Shaeffer,” T’Challa chuckled. “It is short for _‘umkhosi,’_ and translates indirectly to ‘little fighter.’”

 

Tony snorted. “How do you say ‘huge pain in my ass’?”

 

“You do not have enough money for me to tell you that,” T’Challa laughed out loud. “But, please, feel free to ask Doctor Shaeffer.”

 

“I think I’d like to keep my testicles where they are, thank you very much,” Tony replied, causing the King to laugh even harder while Shuri, Pepper, and Rhodey all nodded or rolled their eyes in either exasperation or agreement.

 

***

 

It was a quick trip back to the Border Tribe, where Bucky was clearly waiting for her in front of their home. The look of relief on his face when she exited the hovercraft was almost comical, except that she knew that meant he’d been worried all day.

 

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said as his shoulders dropped slightly. The words were spoken on an exhale, as if he’d been holding his breath until the moment she returned to him; he smiled as the stress hanging on his frame fell away.

 

“Hi, honey,” Lexi replied softly, walking up to him and taking him in her arms. “Have you been waiting out here for me?”

 

“Maybe,” he admitted shyly, waving to Ayo as she sped away.

 

“I promised you I’d be back.”

 

“I know,” he said, wrapping his arm around her torso and holding her close, “but things happen. Things you can’t always control.”

 

She tipped her head back to look at him. “Do you honestly think there is anyone on this planet that could keep me away from you?”

 

“Well, no,” he capitulated gracefully, tucking his nose under her ear and inhaling slowly. He sighed, relaxing in her embrace. “They might try, though.”

 

“They would earn themselves an epic ass-kicking in return,” she grinned, kissing his temple and rubbing his back. “What do you want for dinner? I’ll get it started.”

 

“I, uh, I already did,” he mumbled sheepishly. “It’s on the stove.”

 

Lexi smirked at him. “You just kept yourself busy all day, didn’t you?” When he shrugged, she asked, “Are there any chores left to do?”

 

“Only putting the kids to bed after dinner.”

 

“You can do that while I do the dishes,” she grinned, “and then I’m going to take _really_ good care of you.”

 

Bucky hummed appreciatively. “My baby girl’s gonna take care of me?”

 

“That’s right, big guy. You are all mine tonight.”

 

***

 

Lexi told him all about the reunion she’s had with Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey; Bucky relaxed even further as she described the meeting, as it became clear that Tony wasn’t going to try and convince her to leave with them and go back to the United States.

 

“We’re going to talk more tomorrow about using nanotech in his suits,” Lexi said as they finished dinner.

 

Bucky paused for a few seconds. “How long are they going to be here?” he asked.

 

“A couple more days, I would guess,” she replied, shrugging. “I don’t really know.”

 

He nodded, pushing away from the table and picking up his plate. “I’m gonna go get the babies rounded up and settled in for the night.”

 

“You do that, I’ll clean up in here, and then…” she leered at him, “I’ll meet you in the shower?”

 

He grinned widely, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “Sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we go. Good-feeling fluffiness with Tony, Rhodey, and Pep. More Sciencing with Tony and Shuri in the next chapter! :D
> 
> Any errors in translation are the property of Google Translate. :)
> 
> Thank you to everyone for your support! I'm going to start on the next chapter ASAP while my brain is still focused, so hopefully it won't take as long.
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	18. Enlightenment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is super late--I'm so sorry! RL came in and kicked my ass. Sadly, it's not over. My daughter is finally over the flu (it took nearly a month, which is insane), and I'm looking at surgery to repair my right eye--again--as it seems determined to self-destruct. So things have been a little upsetting here.
> 
> This chapter is also rather short, compared to the others, but I had a serious "Oh, sh!t" moment with the plot that necessitated nearly a complete re-write. Luckily, the next chapter is almost done, so I hope there won't be nearly as long a wait.
> 
> I hope you enjoy and I'll see you soon!

 

Lexi stretched, her back arching as her heartbeat started to come back down from the stratosphere where Bucky’d sent it soaring only minutes before. “Mmm,” she hummed, a slightly glazed look in her eyes and a relaxed smile on her face preceding her loosening grip on the sheets over her head. She brought both hands down, one dropping to the top of Bucky’s head, which was still resting against her hip. “That was great,” she sighed happily, lightly scratching his scalp. “Thank you.”

 

“My pleasure, angel face,” he murmured in response, turning his head slightly to kiss the inside of the thigh that was lying limp over his right shoulder. He was kneeling on the floor by the side of the bed, his fingers lazily trailing over her belly now that he was no longer holding her down as she thrashed and writhed. “How you feelin’?”

 

“Fan…tastic,” she grinned dazedly, “but I thought I was supposed to be taking care of you?”

 

“You have been taking care of me,” he replied. “I needed a few minutes after our shower to recover—that gorgeous goddamn mouth of yours brings me to my knees every time.”

 

Lexi chuckled, curling her fist in Bucky’s damp hair and tugging it lightly. “Well, how’s about you get off your knees and get up here,” she said, urging him forward.

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

With a lot of trial and error, Bucky and Lexi had managed to figure out a number of positions that compensated for Bucky’s shifting balance. While he was still incredibly strong, holding a one-armed plank while moving his hips was difficult to maintain for more than a few minutes, and his concern that he would literally fall on Lexi was too much of a distraction to be worth it.

 

Among other things, they had incorporated pillows to raise Lexi up from the bed, which allowed Bucky to keep the majority of his own weight in his hips and legs; as long as he didn’t lean too far forward, it was fine.

 

Lexi’s favorite, though, was when Bucky straddled her left leg, and she hooked her right knee over his left shoulder. She was strong and flexible enough that Bucky could lean on her right leg, providing support for his torso, and still have maximum range of motion in his hips. It was deep and hard and gave Bucky what he needed on those days that he needed to be a fully active participant, to know that Lexi didn’t always have to do the majority of the work while he just kicked back and relaxed.

 

Tonight, however, Bucky was more than happy to let Lexi ride him off into the sunset. He could touch her and kiss her and hold her close, thrusting into her from underneath, or he could just lay back and enjoy as she rolled her hips in that way that made Bucky’s head fall back onto the pillow, moaning in absolute pleasure. She was glorious and giving and never, ever made him feel that his lack of an arm was an obstacle to be overcome.

 

Currently, he was choosing to wrap his arm around her waist, kissing and nipping at her collarbones as she undulated rhythmically atop him, her fingers slowly combing through and curling in his hair. “God, you feel so good, _kotenok,”_ he murmured against her throat. “Love you so much.”

 

“Mm-hmm,” Lexi hummed, her head tipping just a bit as Bucky ran his hand up her back to lightly grip the nape of her neck. “Love you back,” she grinned, her eyes sliding shut as he mouthed warm kisses up the side of her throat to her chin.

 

They moved together, Bucky falling back to lie flat on the bed so that he could plant his heels and push up to meet her, pushing a breathless moan from her lungs. “Look at you, beautiful girl,” he whispered. “So good for me.”

 

She shivered, her fingers digging into his chest; erratic movements joined shaky exhalations. Bucky continued to murmur sweet, adoring filth, winding her up tighter and tighter until she came apart, shaking and screaming in his embrace. Only then did he lose control, taking his pleasure in her warm, soft flesh.

 

Later, they drifted off, still clinging to each other, both of them dreaming of the future that stretched out ahead of them.

 

***

 

“So, I could store all of the nanobots in one spot, and it would still be equally effective.” Tony pointed at the center of his chest, tapping lightly against his sternum.

 

“Where your arc reactor used to be?” Lexi asked, frowning slightly.

 

“Not exactly where it used to be, because that would be inside my chest, and Pepper would appreciate it if I stopped poking holes in myself for technology,” Tony snarked. “I was thinking more of a container that could be attached to a shirt or jacket.”

 

“A compression shirt would work best,” Shuri said thoughtfully, looking at a holographic screen. “Something smooth.”

 

“I can do that,” Tony nodded. “I already wear a base layer to regulate body temperature.”

 

“Just remember not to take your suit to space and you should be fine. Gravity stratifies atmospheric density, which effects wireless communications. The nanotech will behave differently, which would be dangerous,” Shuri cautioned him as she programmed her manufacturing software.

 

“I’ve got no immediate plans to leave the planet,” Tony smiled.

 

They talked and worked for hours over the next several days while Rhodey and Pepper met with T’Challa and discussed what the Wakandan King would and would not be willing to share with the world. Lexi would come meet them, more often than not, for guided excursions around the city and through some of the tribal villages. For obvious reasons, they avoided going to the village at the Border Tribe where Lexi and Bucky lived; it was better if the American visitors could truthfully say that they had not seen Bucky in Wakanda, should anyone ask.

 

“What if Ross asks about you?” Tony asked her one day at lunch.

 

Lexi shrugged. “Tell him the truth, if you need to. He’ll never find me, no matter how hard he looks.”

 

“As fun as that would be, just to see his face,” Pepper cautioned them, “I think sticking with ‘no’ is a better idea. We don’t need an international incident.”

 

“Don’t underestimate him, Lex,” Rhodey said, a worried crease forming between his eyebrows. “If he finds out where you are, he’ll stop at nothing to take you into custody—even if that means invading another country.”

 

“We’ll do our best to keep track of his whereabouts,” Tony assured her. “If he sends the ATCU anywhere, we’ll know.”

 

***

 

“You’ll tell Farmer Ted we said hi?” Tony asked as they walked out to where the Wakandan jet was waiting to take him, Rhodey, and Pepper back to Rome.

 

Lexi rolled her eyes and elbowed him gently. “Sure, Tony,” she smiled. “He’s glad you came here, that I got to see you.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes, really,” Lexi laughed. “He knows I missed you.”

 

Tony turned to her and took her hand. “I wasn’t kidding, you know. I will make it safe for him to come back to the U.S. if that’s what you decide you want.”

 

Tears pricked at her eyelids and she stepped forward to hug her friend tightly. “Thank you, Tony. That means a lot to me, and to Bucky.”

 

“I miss sciencing with you,” Tony murmured, “even if you are a pain in the ass. FRIDAY does, too.”

 

“We’ll come back someday, Tony. I promise.”

 

“I’m holding you to that, Missy.”

 

***

 

Not long after Tony and the others returned to the United States, Lexi found herself in the lab with Shuri. They were working on part of his armor design when Lexi quietly said, “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Of course,” Shuri replied, her attention mostly on the display in front of her.

 

“You haven’t said anything about what Tony mentioned.” When Shuri looked at her questioningly, Lexi said, “About me being older than he is.”

 

Shuri’s eyebrows arched upward as she shrugged unconcernedly. “I figured you would talk about it if you wanted to. It’s certainly not the strangest thing I’ve found out about you.”

 

Lexi chuckled. “Yeah, I guess not.”

 

“Is there a reason you are bringing it up now?” she asked.

 

Lexi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, turning to face the younger woman. “Yes,” she answered slowly. At Shuri’s expectant expression, she continued. “I haven’t aged in more than twenty-five years.”

 

Shuri blinked. Repeatedly.

 

“When I stopped aging,” Lexi went on, “everything stopped. I thought it was stress at first, but I went to the doctor, and they—they told me that….”

 

“That you were infertile,” Shuri finished for her softly. Lexi nodded, her brow furrowing and her gaze dropping. “You were hoping that I could help you.”

 

Lexi nodded again, swallowing hard. “If anyone can help me have a family, it would be you,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

 

Shuri reached out and took her hand. “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “We can run some tests, find out what we’re dealing with, and then we can talk about what you want to do. Does that sound alright?”

 

Lexi smiled, tears pricking at her eyes. “That sounds great,” she said.

 

“Okay,” Shuri grinned, patting her hand before turning back to their joint project. “Let’s get Mister Stark’s nanotech armor tested, shall we?”

 

***

 

The next week passed peacefully, though busily. Though Bucky didn’t say anything, Lexi could tell he was a little relieved that Tony and the others had departed and that their lives had returned to a more or less normal routine.

 

It had been several days since she had spoken to Shuri. They’d done blood tests and digital imaging and were about to start discussing options. They were keeping all of this between them—Lexi hadn’t even said anything to Bucky yet; she wanted to have all of the information ready before she approached him with it. She wasn’t worried about his reaction per se, but she wanted to be able to answer all of the questions he would be sure to have.

 

It was this nervousness and uncertainty that drove her to try to contact her birth mother. She needed to talk to someone, to talk about her insecurities and whether she should even be trying to do this. She couldn’t call her adoptive mother, because Lexi didn’t want to get her hopes up; she couldn’t talk to Bucky for that same reason. Shuri was the only one who knew, and despite her brilliance and her compassion and willingness to help Lexi with this and keep her secret, she was only eighteen.

 

The person that Lexi really wanted to talk to about this was Bruce. No one had seen or heard from him in almost three years; Lexi hadn’t wanted to intrude on his privacy, but she was starting to wonder if he would ever contact any of them ever again. She missed him. Seeing Tony again, right on the heels of seeing Steve, Nat, and Sam, made her heart start to ache at the thought of her other friends.

 

It was with this thought that Lexi got up early one morning and wandered outside. The early morning sun was just rising over the hills, casting a golden glow over the landscape. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she sat under the big tree in their front yard. She took several deep breaths, filling her lungs with the scents of the earth around her, and pressed her palms to the soft, fragrant grass. The warmth traveled up her arms and suffused her body with energy; she relaxed into it, allowing it to fill her.

 

“I was wondering when you were going to call to me.”

 

Lexi opened her eyes and smiled. “Hello, mother,” she said. “It’s good to see you.”

 

“You’ve been busy, my daughter,” she said, looking at Lexi with a fond expression.

 

“I have,” Lexi nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about what I’ve been doing.”

 

“I’m well aware of what you’ve been doing,” her mother said, chuckling in amusement. “I have been wondering how long it would take you to understand.”

 

“Understand what?” Lexi asked in confusion. “I want to give Bucky a family, to have a family _with_ him. I’ve spoken to Shuri to see if there’s any way she can help me to get pregnant.”

 

Her mother looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. “Why would you need to seek anyone else’s help? The decision is yours to make, and yours alone.”

 

Lexi sat and stared at the woman before her, blinking several times. “Excuse me?”

 

She laughed amusedly. “My daughter,” she smiled, “the power is within you to bear a child whenever you wish. You simply need to _choose.”_

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“I told you years ago, dear girl, that once you embraced your gifts, that you would be able to make choices you’ve only ever dreamed of. This is one of those choices; dare I say, the most important choice you can make. To carry on your bloodline—and mine.”

 

“You’re—you’re serious?” Lexi stammered, shocked into stillness even as her heart began to pound. “I can—I—I can get pregnant, have a baby, whenever I want to?”

 

“Of course you can,” her mother said. “The power is within you. It always has been.”

 

“But—what—how?” she asked, practically shaking. “How do I choose?”

 

They talked for a long while; her mother laying out in explicit detail how Lexi was able—not just to get pregnant at any time she so desired—but choose the gender, physical characteristics, and abilities of her child, so long as it was available genetically from one of the contributing parents.

 

“I can’t believe this,” Lexi murmured, staring at her mother wide-eyed. “For so many years…so many…I never—I never thought I could—“ her voice broke then, and she exhaled shakily, stunned to her very core.

 

“It is not an endeavor to take on lightly,” her mother cautioned her. “I have many children, and I love them all,” she smirked, “though I find myself liking some of you more than others.”

 

“You have more children than just me and Thor?” Lexi asked, surprised. “How many? Where are they? Can I meet them?”

 

“My children are spread across the multiverse, dear child,” her mother said. “You may well meet them someday. You will know them when you do.”

 

“How?” Lexi asked. “How will I—“ she stopped and blinked a few times. “When I met Thor and shook his hand, that weird feeling we both experienced, that was it, wasn’t it?”

 

“There must be a way for you to recognize your siblings,” her mother nodded. “Procreation between two of my own children would not be wise.”

 

Lexi cringed. “Ew.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“Speaking of Thor, we haven’t seen him since he was on Earth a few months ago,” Lexi said. “Is he alright?”

 

“Thor is well,” she replied. “I promise, you will see him soon.”

 

Lexi smiled, happy at the thought of seeing her half-brother again. But then another thought occurred to her. “Last year you told me something was coming. You called it ‘Thanos.’”

 

Her mother turned her gaze away. “Yes.”

 

“Will you tell me anything more?”

 

“I cannot,” she said, before glancing back to Lexi, “other than to assure you that you and your family will survive.”

 

“We will?” Lexi asked, more relieved than she cared to admit.

 

Her mother smiled softly. “You will.”

 

Her mother left soon after, and Lexi awoke to find herself leaning back on Bucky’s chest, his arm wrapped around her, keeping her safe. Several of the village children were running around playing, and little Gichinga was doing his best to herd some small goats into the pen.

 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Bucky said softly, kissing the side of her head. “You back?”

 

“Yeah,” Lexi stretched, yawning a bit. “What time is it?””

 

“Just a little after breakfast,” he answered. “I’ve got everything in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

 

“I could eat,” she smiled. She turned and sat on her knees, putting her hands on Bucky’s shoulders to lean in for a kiss. “I love you,” she murmured.

 

“I love you, too,” he grinned, trailing his index finger along her jawline. “You seem extra happy—did your mother have some good news for you?”

 

Lexi exhaled in a huff, laughter practically bubbling out of her. “Yeah, she did.”

 

Bucky waited for a few seconds, but when no explanation was forthcoming, he asked, chuckling, “Aren’t ya gonna tell me?”

 

She couldn’t tell him, not yet. She needed to come to grips with what her mother had told her. If it was true, that she could get pregnant and they could choose everything about their child, this was something she wanted them to decide together. There was some news, though, that she could share….

 

“Thor is coming back,” Lexi told him. “She says he’s doing well and we’ll see him again soon.”

 

“That’s great!” Bucky grinned, popping in for another quick kiss. He prompted her to stand up, pushing himself to his feet just a second later. “C’mon, let’s get you fed, baby girl.” He tugged her into his side, tucking her under his chin. “Y’know,” he said, “Clint is getting off of his house arrest in a few months.” Lexi looked up at him questioningly. “Maybe, when Thor comes back, we can talk to the others about coming here. Get Tony and Rhodey to come, too.”

 

“Are you thinking of having a little family reunion?” she asked, grinning widely. She was loving this idea.

 

“If we can get Bruce to come back, that would be everyone, right?” Bucky opened the front door for her and patted her backside as she entered the house before him. “Has anyone heard from Bruce?”

 

“Not that I know of,” Lexi answered, “but you know what? I was just thinking about that.”

 

***

 

“According to all of the test results,” Shuri said, swiping across pages of her tablet, “you are a perfectly healthy twenty-six-year-old woman.” She set the tablet down on her worktable. “There appears to be no reason, other than lack of ovulation, that you cannot conceive and carry a fetus to term.”

 

Lexi sat across from her, goose bumps scattering over her skin. She swallowed nervously and said, “Yeah, about that—“

 

“One question, first,” Shuri interrupted. When Lexi nodded, encouraging her to ask, Shuri leaned forward and whispered, even though they were alone in the lab, “How old are you, really?”

 

Lexi smiled a little sheepishly, a blush staining her cheeks. “Fifty-two.”

 

“Wow,” Shuri exhaled, her eyes wide. “And this, this extended youth or whatever you call it, this is due to your mother?”

 

“Looks that way,” Lexi shrugged. “I don’t know who she is, but she’s powerful—even more so than I really understood.” When Shuri looked at her questioningly, Lexi told her of the conversation the two women had just had.

 

Shuri listened, completely absorbed in what Lexi was telling her, until she had finished. “That’s amazing,” she murmured in awe. “Are you—no, _when_ are you going to do it? What did Bucky say?”

 

“I haven’t told him yet,” Lexi said. When Shuri’s jaw dropped in disbelief, she explained. “I don’t want to get his hopes up if it doesn’t work.”

 

“Your mother doesn’t sound like someone who would deliberately mislead you,” Shuri said.

 

“Not about something this important, anyway,” Lexi smiled. “I will tell Bucky, but I need to think about everything she told me. This involves him, so I want to be sure it’s something he wants as well.”

 

“Are you joking?” she asked. “Of course he would love to have a child with you. Why wouldn’t he? He loves you, and you love him. What else is there?”

 

“He still worries about his past, and things from his past that haven’t been laid to rest yet.” Lexi shrugged. “I can defend myself, but a baby….”

 

“Your child, just like any child in Wakanda, will have the entire army protecting him or her,” Shuri said seriously, before she smirked, “not to mention every single one of the Dora Milaje as a godmother. And me, of course,” she added quickly.

 

“Of course,” Lexi said gratefully.

 

***

 

It was a warm night, balmy and rather humid, so they’d left the windows open a bit, allowing for a light breeze carrying the scent of roses to circulate the air inside their bedroom. They slept with only one sheet, curled within each other’s space, their hands entwined; it was too warm for more than that at the moment.

 

They’d been asleep for several hours, worn out after a busy day helping the villagers get ready for fall planting as well as a new influx of baby goats, when Bucky suddenly jerked awake and sat up. Lexi looked at him, thinking he’d had a nightmare, but instead saw that he was actively listening, his brow furrowed and his head quirked to one side.

 

“What’s wrong?” Lexi asked, when she finally heard what his enhanced hearing had already picked up. Someone was screaming.

 

“Trouble in the village,” he responded, immediately rolling out of bed and grabbing for his clothes. Lexi leapt out of bed also and ran for their closet. She was already wearing a sleeveless t-shirt, so she pulled on some cargo pants, socks, and boots while Bucky struggled into a shirt and some pants. Cursing his lack of arm, Lexi quickly buttoned and zipped his pants for him and then went for the backpack with her weapons as he slipped into some shoes.

 

She gave Bucky two Glock 26s with the biggest clips she had; he stuck one in the back of his pants and held the other in his hand. She slipped two knives into his pocket, attaching the sheaths onto his pants.

 

Lexi took two Glock 19s and extra magazines for herself, Bucky watching her load them. “You’re sure about this?” he asked, picking up his phone and sending a quick and urgent message to the palace, alerting Okoye and the head of the King’s Guard before muting the device and sticking it into his back pocket.

 

“I told you before, you’re not leaving me behind ever again,” she said, slipping a knife into her right boot. “Let’s go.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger! I'm almost done with the next chapter, so I hope that nothing additionally terrible happens here (knock on wood) to throw everything off the rails again.
> 
> Much love to all of you for commenting and leaving kudos! I don't think I deserve you, but I'll try. :*)
> 
> Only five weeks until EndGame! When are tickets going on sale, for crying out loud?!?
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	19. Thieves In the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay with this chapter. I really meant to get it posted a week ago, but emergency eye surgery happened, and proofreading and editing were a little on the difficult side for a while. Luckily, they were able to patch up my retina before it detached--again JFC--but it set me back quite a few days.
> 
> Don't skip those eye exams, people. The funny thing about retinas--even when they're tearing apart, it doesn't hurt. You can't feel it. It's pretty messed up. But if they catch it early enough, they can fix it; at least, temporarily.
> 
> So I hope this chapter makes sense. I had to edit it with one eye. XD

 

“We stay together,” Bucky said as they headed to the front door. “Do not leave my side.”

 

The screaming got louder as they ran silently through the trees toward the village, now interspersed with random gunshots. They slowed as they approached the edge of the tree line, close enough to see but far enough away not to attract attention. They peered around thick trunks and through lush foliage to see the chaos unfolding before them.

 

Flares dropped all over the ground cast a strange orange glow on people’s faces. They watched from the trees as armed strangers pulled people from their huts, demanding vibranium.

 

“I count…fifteen, out in the open,” Lexi said lowly. The villagers were being grouped together, held at gunpoint by the terrorists in a circle around them.

 

“Same,” Bucky agreed. “I still hear shouting, so there’s more of them inside the huts.” Lexi shuddered at the thought. “What are they saying?” Bucky asked, frowning. When Lexi told him, he shook his head angrily. “Goddamn idiots. Like the villagers’re going to keep vibranium in their homes.”

 

Some of the remaining men in the village were trying to fight back, but the strangers were well armed, holding semi-automatic rifles and handguns, occasionally firing into the air and at the ground as warning. “What happened to the extra security at the border point?” Lexi asked, watching as women and children that she had gotten to know and care for were being thrown to the ground, guns shoved in their faces.

 

“I’m sure we’ll find out,” he replied grimly. His gaze was steady. “I’ve got a clear shot on two of them.”

 

“If we try to pick them off one at a time, they’ll start shooting the villagers,” Lexi shook her head. “We need to get closer, take them out quickly.”

 

“Do you think you can use your…” he trailed off, and when Lexi looked over at him with a quirked eyebrow, he stammered. “Your, uh….”

 

“My mental hoobie-jube?” Lexi asked drily.

 

“Yeah, that,” he huffed humorlessly.

 

“I can walk straight over there without a single person seeing me if I have to.”

 

“You can’t neutralize them all on your own,” Bucky shook his head. “Can you push them away?”

 

She shook her head, looking troubled. “Not from here, from this distance. It’s too hard to discern the bad guys from the villagers what with how they’re spread out, and I don’t want to hurt anyone who doesn’t really fucking deserve it.”

 

“We need back-up,“ he frowned, checking his phone and sending another message. “Until the others arrive and we can get these assholes away from the villagers, our best bet is to get rid of the ones that are rounding people up.”

 

“Start by circling around the back and picking off the outliers?”

 

He nodded, his face calm as he planned the attack in his head. “Once we’ve eliminated the strays and got the rest of them all in one place, we can deal with them as a unit.”

 

“I won’t be gentle.”

 

“We need at least one alive for intel, preferably the one screaming orders.” He looked at Lexi. “Are you prepared to do this?”

 

Lexi took a deep breath. “They’re threatening to kill people I care about,” she looked at Bucky and exhaled slowly, “so, yeah.”

 

Bucky nodded back at her. “Alright.” He gestured with a chin tilt to the right. “We’ll come in from that direction. We’ll try to find the ones that are separated from the main group and deal with them as quickly and quietly as possible. Stay low, stay quiet, stay on my six.”

 

Moving along the treeline, they made their way around the north side of the village, peeking into the huts they passed by, finding most of them quiet and empty. They found a few with elderly women and small children inside, both Bucky and Lexi holding their index fingers up to their lips so the frightened villagers would know to stay silent.

 

The yelling got louder as they worked their way back toward the center of the village; Bucky and Lexi ducked into a hut that looked to be deserted. Crouching down, Bucky peeked around the doorway. He held up a single finger to indicate that one man was heading their way. Lexi heard the footsteps only a second before Bucky reached out and grabbed the man around the ankle, dragging him roughly inside the hut.

 

His bark of surprise was quickly cut off when he hit the floor facedown, a loud _oof!_ the only sound he made before a swift punch to the head knocked him unconscious. Lexi found zip ties in his back pocket; they bound and gagged him and stashed him along the wall before moving on. Bucky looked longingly at the HK416 on the ground.

 

“Please don’t get the arm just so you can shoot a rifle,” Lexi murmured, picking up the weapon and slinging its strap over her shoulder after stashing the zip ties in her pocket.

 

Bucky gave her a flat look that conveyed his annoyance that she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Moving on,” he mumbled, looking both ways before slipping silently out of the door, Lexi right behind him.

 

They rapidly disarmed two more terrorists as they made their way toward the main group. “Did your message get to the palace?” Lexi asked quietly. When Bucky nodded, she asked, “Where the hell are they? The others are going to notice their men are disappearing soon,” Lexi said, as they made their way along the edge of a wall that led to the archway of the next hut.

 

They heard sudden shouting inside, an older woman screaming and a little boy crying. They slipped inside just as the woman abruptly fell silent, only to come face-to-face with an armed thief coming out of the back room. Bucky and Lexi brought their weapons up and pointed them at the man’s face.

 

The thief pulled a little boy out from behind him and held the child in front of him like a shield, his rifle pointed at the boy’s head. Lexi’s blood instantly turned to ice in her veins as Tadeo looked up at her and Bucky, his eyes wide with fear.

 

The intruder immediately started yelling at them and nudging Tadeo’s temple with the barrel of his gun. _“On sobirayetsya zastrelit' yego,”_ (“He’s going to shoot him,”) Lexi whispered to Bucky, holstering her two handguns. _“Bud' gotov.”_ (“Be ready.”)

 

 _“Gotov dlya chego?”_ (“Ready for what?”) Bucky asked her, but she was already concentrating on someone else.

 

Lexi looked at Tadeo, who was staring at her with enormous, scared eyes. She gave him a reassuring little smile and said softly, _“_ _Yonke into iya kulungile_ _, Tadeo._ _Vala ukuvala amehlo akho._ _”_

 

_Everything’s going to be okay, Tadeo. Just close your eyes._

 

He shut his eyes tightly, and Lexi took two steps away from Bucky, drawing the thief’s attention. He continued to point his gun at Tadeo’s head, but yelled at Lexi not to move.

 

Bucky hadn’t moved an inch, his Glock still leveled at the man holding Tadeo hostage.

 

Lexi’s chin dropped slightly as she watched him, the eager chill sweeping over her instantly and completely. A grin stretched across her face as she focused on the gunman and whispered, _“_ _Haupaswi kumgusa.”_ (“You shouldn’t have touched him.”)

 

_Welcome to your worst fucking nightmare, asshole._

 

Her fists clenched tightly, nails digging into her palms, and if there had been a mirror available, she would have seen that her eyes were completely black. She concentrated on the man before her, blocking out everything else, confident that Bucky would keep her safe.

 

At first nothing really seemed to happen, other than the thief pausing briefly in his tirade when he realized Lexi spoke his language. It took a few seconds, but she saw the moment his eyes started to get bigger and his hands began to shake. Words failed him as his jaw dropped open in absolute terror; she could practically hear his heart as it hammered wildly in his chest. She felt Bucky watching her, but he did nothing to distract her.

 

The next three seconds passed in a blur. The intruder released Tadeo to bring both hands to his rifle, which he then swung in Lexi’s direction. Before he could even line up a shot, Bucky had put two bullets in him and the man dropped to the floor.

 

Lexi rushed forward to grab Tadeo, pulling him close into a tight hug and tucking his face into her throat, covering his eyes. _“_ _Musa ukumjonga,_ don’t look at him,” she whispered, wanting to spare him the sight of the bloodied mess on the floor of his home.

 

She took him immediately into the back room where Abula, his grandmother, was lying on the floor, trying to push herself up to a sitting position. Lexi pulled the knife from her boot to slice the zip ties that were cutting cruelly into her wrists and ankles and then healed a harsh gash on her forehead. Once she was free of the restraints, she started crying, kissing Lexi’s cheeks as she clutched Tadeo to her chest.

 

After making sure that they knew to stay quiet and to stay hidden until help came back for them, Lexi gave them a hug and returned to the front room.

 

Bucky looked up as she walked in; he had moved the dead man, rolling him in a large rug and stashing him where he wouldn’t be visible from the front archway. “They’re alright?” he asked quietly, and Lexi nodded in response.

 

“The bastard hit Abula then tied her so tightly he cut off her circulation,” she replied, not feeling the slightest bit of remorse at what had befallen the intruder, “but she’ll be okay. They know to stay down and keep quiet.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, coming over to take her hand. Lexi nodded again, and he kissed her forehead. “What did you do to make him panic like that?”

 

“I became the thing he feared most,” Lexi replied simply, glancing at the motionless lump under the rug.

 

“Good job,” he said briskly. “Let’s get moving.”

 

The two of them snuck through the next few huts, finding them all empty, before Bucky stopped, putting his hand out. He stood completely still for several seconds before whispering, “The cavalry’s here.”

 

They crept slowly around the back of the neighboring hut, getting a better view of the trees ahead, and crouched down, waiting. The group of terrorists guarding most of the villagers was starting to voice their concern that their comrades hadn’t returned. “We don’t have much time,” Lexi warned. “They know something’s wrong.”

 

“Take my phone from my pocket,” Bucky murmured. Once Lexi had it in her hand, he said, “Aim the flashlight toward the trees and turn it on and off twice quickly.” Once that was done, Bucky whistled, two chirps that could easily be mistaken for birds; a responding chirp was heard from the trees, and a metallic flash appeared behind a trunk.

 

“There they are,” Bucky said. “We head straight for the trees to our left and circle around to meet them. Stay low.”

 

Okoye and Ayo led the group of Dora Milaje and King’s Guard that had arrived to help; all told almost thirty warriors arrived to liberate the village. Bucky and Lexi filled them in on what they knew, how many intruders they were dealing with and their locations, their weaponry, and what they were after.

 

“Where are the others?” Lexi asked Okoye.

 

“We have sent them to the other villages between here and the border station,” she said grimly, the anger clear on her face. “There has been more than one attack this night.”

 

Bucky and Lexi exchanged looks; this had been a large-scale, coordinated attack. The Wakandan people had taken them in, sheltered them, fed them, and accepted them. The two Americans were more than willing to fight by their sides.

 

“They’re getting nervous,” Lexi said, tipping her head to indicate the group of terrorists. “We need to end this quickly.”

 

“If we surround them,” Okoye asked, a deadly serious look on her face, “what can you do?”

 

Lexi’s eyes narrowed as she looked back toward the village. “I can give you an opening,” she replied.

 

***

 

Once all was said and done and the dust had settled, it had all felt rather…anti-climactic.

 

Sure, there had been a bit of a rush as she unleashed her fury at the men pointing guns at the people who had become her friends; perhaps even some smug satisfaction that she had been able to walk right into the middle of the group with none of the terrorists seeing her. The villagers had watched her with wide eyes, even as she smiled at them and held her index finger up to her pursed lips in a clear ‘shh’ gesture.

 

She watched the trees on either side of the village, waiting for the signal. When she saw the two brief flashes and heard the chirping whistle, she let go.

 

Turning first to the man shouting the orders, Lexi allowed the chill to sweep over her once again, her fists clenched tightly. She felt more than saw the villagers pulling away from her, though whether it was out of fear or to give her room to work, she couldn’t say.

 

She spun in an easy, controlled circle, focusing briefly on every man that was holding a weapon; one by one, they flew into the air, tossed away as if they were no more substantial than leaves on the wind. In just a handful of seconds, all of the terrorists were on their backs, gasping for breath, as the Dora Milaje converged and subdued them.

 

The King’s Guards swept through the village, bringing out the rest of the gang and checking for additional casualties. As soon as every building was cleared and the injured were being attended to, Okoye came up to Lexi and Bucky, who were helping the most severely wounded. “Barnes, _Khosi,”_ she greeted them.

 

“What’s up, Okoye?” Bucky asked, standing to face her.

 

“We need your help, at the border station,” she said urgently.

 

***

 

The hovercraft sailed silently over the countryside, past the other villages, where they could see other members of the Guard and the Dora Milaje fighting to protect the unarmed Wakandans living there. Seeing their concern, Okoye said, “They have it under control. The situation at the border point is more serious.”

 

“Why?” Lexi asked. “What’s happening there?”

 

“An…enhanced person,” she said hesitantly. “He came in with a group of refugees. He has somehow incapacitated all of the guards, as well as anyone who comes near him. That is how the thieves got in.”

 

“What are you hoping we can do?” Bucky asked. “I can’t shoot a rifle and you’re not going to ask Lex to do that.”

 

“No, of course not,” Okoye responded, giving Bucky a bit of stink-eye. “Guns are so primitive. We want to talk to him, to help him, but we can’t get close enough to him to say anything.”

 

“You want to help him?” Lexi asked, surprised.

 

Okoye glanced at her and nodded, saying, “When you see him, you’ll understand.”

 

***

 

“He’s…” Lexi trailed off, stunned. “He’s just a kid.”

 

“Jesus Christ,” Bucky sighed.

 

They stood well back from the boy who was curled in on himself, sitting all alone by the border patrol station. Bodies littered the ground around him, though they had been assured that everyone was still alive, just unconscious. “How is he doing this?” Lexi asked.

 

Shuri stood beside her, as did T’Challa and Okoye. “Best we can tell,” she said, “he is emitting some type of energy that renders everyone within range unconscious. The range fluctuates with his emotions.”

 

“The more upset he is, the greater the range?” Bucky asked. Shuri and T’Challa nodded. “He’s like a human EMP.”

 

“How did he arrive?” Lexi asked.

 

“According to the entry report from this morning,” T’Challa said solemnly, “he was found by himself not far from here. We have been trying to locate his family.”

 

“He was sent here intentionally,” Lexi said.

 

“It would appear that way,” T’Challa replied.

 

“Do you think you can talk to him?” Okoye asked Lexi.

 

She sighed. “Yeah.” Turning to look at the three Wakandans by her side, she asked, “What would you like me to do?”

 

***

 

Lexi approached him slowly, not wanting to startle him. His head was tucked down against his knees as he rocked back and forth. Despite the warm mid-February evening, he was wearing a scarf; he was shivering and she could see that goose bumps seemed to have set up permanent residency on his arms.

 

The amount of energy he was putting out was impressive, considering how small he was; it surrounded him like an invisible aura that pulsed along with his heart rate. Lexi could feel it sliding over her skin like silky, gossamer threads.

 

When she was about ten feet away, Lexi sat down facing him. Not knowing what language he spoke, she simply said, “Hello.”

 

His head snapped up with a gasp. He started to scramble backwards, clearly frightened. The scarf fell away from his throat.

 

“It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you,” Lexi said, putting her hands up in a calming gesture. Now that he had looked up, she could see a narrow collar around his neck, a red light flashing below where his Adam’s apple would form.

 

 _“_ _Umefikaje hapa?_ _”_ (“How are you here?”) he asked, confused. _“_ _Kwa nini wewe si usingizi kama wao?_ _”_ (“Why aren’t you asleep like them?”)

 

Lexi smiled at him; he couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen years old. _“_ _Sababu hiyo niweza kuzungumza lugha yako,_ _”_ (“The same reason I can speak your language,”) she told him with a shrug. _“_ _Mimi ni kama wewe. Mimi ni tofauti._ _”_ (“I’m like you. I’m different.”)

 

 _“_ _Jinsi tofauti?_ _”_ (“Different how?”) he asked suspiciously.

 

Lexi thought for a moment, then smiled. _“_ _Tazama hili,_ _”_ (“Watch this,”) she grinned. Digging a hand into the dirt at her side, she pulled in some of the energy that was swirling around and then pushed it into the ground. Several seconds later, dozens of tiny flowers sprouted up around them. At his amazed expression, she smiled and said, _“_ _Wananiita Khosi. Jina lako nani?_ _”_ (“They call me _Khosi._ What’s your name?”)

 

Once the boy, who was called Mukisa, started talking, he didn’t stop. He told her the whole story; how he had undergone Terrigenesis several years earlier after eating some tainted fish, and when he came out of the chrysalis, he had been so scared that everyone around him, nearly the entire Ugandan village, had immediately passed out.

 

Despite the fact that no one had been seriously harmed, and ignoring his family’s pleas and reassurances that Mukisa wasn’t dangerous, the other villagers had driven them out, terrified of what he could do.

 

They had wandered from village to village, trying to hide his abilities, keeping him away from anyone outside their family. Gossip travels fast, though; word quickly spread about their family and it became difficult for them to find safe shelter.

 

They had been on the road, heading toward a village that they hoped had not heard of them, when armed men came upon them. They had heard of the boy who could render everyone around him unconscious and had tracked them down. They had tranquilized the whole family and then fitted a collar around his neck, which, when they turned it on, made it so that his powers didn’t work.

 

 _“_ _Wanafanya familia yangu,_ _”_ (“They are holding my family,”) he admitted. _“_ _Walisema kama nimewafanyia hivi kwamba wangeniacha familia kwenda._ _”_ (“They said if I did this for them that they would let my family go.”)

 

 _“_ _Wakakuhimiza kufanya hivyo ili kuokoa familia yako._ _”_ (“They forced you to do this to save your family.”)

 

He nodded sadly.

 

 _“_ _Je! Unajua wapi?_ _”_ (“Do you know where they are?”)

 

Mukisa shrugged. _“_ _Kusini hapa,_ _”_ (“South of here,”) he said, and then his eyes brightened. _“_ _Hao mbali sana, ingawa._ _Mdhibiti kwa hili—_ _”_ (“They are not too far, though. The controller for this—“) he yanked at the collar, _“_ _haifanyi kazi kama yeye ni mbali sana._ _”_ (“does not work if he is too far away.”)

 

“Shuri,” Lexi said clearly, holding up the kimoyo bead bracelet that circled her left wrist, “did you get that? Can you find the collar’s frequency and track it to the controller?”

 

“We have already started,” Shuri said.

 

***

 

Once Mukisa had calmed down, everyone began to wake up, stirring slowly and pushing themselves up to their feet. Other than some minor disorientation and a few bruises, no one was seriously harmed. After removing the dampening collar, a health care worker took Mukisa for some food and water and a warm place to sleep; Lexi returned to Shuri’s side as she studied the hardware.

 

“This collar looks very similar to the one Miss Maximoff was wearing when she first arrived here, and it is operating on the same frequency,” she said grimly.

 

“Ross,” Lexi growled. “What do you want to bet that he’s giving equipment to armed groups to track down and contain enhanced people and Inhumans?”

 

“I wouldn’t take that bet,” Bucky growled. “That sounds exactly like something he would do.”

 

“We are going to the other villages along the border to make sure everything is under control,” T’Challa said to them. “If you are willing and able, we would greatly appreciate your assistance.”

 

Without a second of hesitation, both Lexi and Bucky nodded. “Lead the way, Your Highness,” she said.

 

***

 

“I gotta tell you,” Sam yelled over the staccato blasts of automatic gunfire, “I kinda wish Lexi was still around and keepin’ these guys off our backs.”

 

“We’re not going to be able to dismantle that before they get reinforcements here,” Nat replied, nodding toward the crate of alien tech that sat in the middle of the floor as bullets pinged into the wall over her head.

 

“We’ll just have to take it with us, dispose of it later,” Steve agreed. “Sam, can you clear a path to the quinjet?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, “but it’s not gonna be pretty.”

 

“I’m okay with that,” Nat quipped, providing cover as Sam raced out the back, quickly followed by Steve, who hoisted the crate of weaponry onto his shoulder.

 

They ran through the streets in the early morning daylight toward the jet, Sam firing at the arms dealers that were trying to pursue them. “Nat!” Steve yelled as the quinjet came into sight. “Get us in the air!”

 

“I’m on it!” she replied. The rear ramp lowered as they approached. A man stood at the top of the ramp, his arms folded across his chest and a bored expression on his face.

 

“’Bout damn time you got here.”

 

***

 

Nick Fury sat in the back of the quinjet, his foot propped casually on the crate of Chitauri weapons, looking at Steve with a quirked eyebrow.

 

“What can I do for you, Fury?” he asked. Sam and Nat were up in the cockpit, piloting them out of Syrian airspace.

 

“Long story short?” Nick said. “I need you and Stark to get your shit together.”

 

“Is this an official call for the Avengers to assemble?”

 

“No,” Fury shook his head, “but how long do you think it will be before it comes to that?” When Steve didn’t respond, he continued. “You three are needed for more than clean-up. It’s only a matter of time before something happens—you and Stark can’t keep up this radio silence forever.”

 

“We’re not—totally—silent,” Steve admitted. “We’ve spoken a couple of times.”

 

“Oh?” Nick asked, waiting for him to explain.

 

“We discussed…a mutual friend,” he said.

 

“Anyone I know?”

 

Steve didn’t answer; he sat back in his seat and instead asked, “Have you spoken to Tony recently?”

 

Nick smirked at his obvious deflection, sensing there was no point in pursuing that line of questioning. “Hill’s talking to him,” he said. “Figured she’d have more luck with him than I would.”

 

Steve huffed a laugh. “You’re probably right.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Fury sighed, pursing his lips, “they need to discuss more than just his poor communication skills.”

 

***

 

“Do you want to tell me why Vision has turned off his transponder again?” Maria asked loudly as she walked into Tony’s lab.

 

“He obviously wanted to,” Tony replied, taking a drink of water. He’d been experimenting with his new nanotech armor and had just taken a pretty hard hit to the back. He was pleased, though, that the armor had held together. It wasn’t even scratched. “I’m not worried about it. I trust him.” His eyes fell on the crappy flip phone that sat on the corner of his desk and was never out of reach. “He knows how to contact me if he needs to.”

 

“Pardon my healthy skepticism,” Maria drawled, “but the last time one of your creations went AWOL, it tried to destroy the world.”

 

Tony frowned at her in annoyance, his lip curling a bit between swigs from his sports bottle. “Do you even work for me? Can I fire you?”

 

“Officially, I work for Pepper,” Maria smirked, “so no.” She glanced down at the rather innocuous-looking phone. “Has that situation been resolved yet?”

 

“Define ‘resolved.’”

 

Maria gave him a very unimpressed look. “Have you and Rogers gotten your collective heads out of your stubborn asses yet?”

 

Tony set his bottle down on his worktable with a loud _thunk._ “He _also_ knows how to contact me if he needs to.”

 

“You can’t keep this up long-term. It’s bad for everyone involved.”

 

“We’re…” Tony sighed, trailing off. “We’ll figure it out. Someday.”

 

Maria turned and started to walk out of the lab, her heels clicking loudly on the polished floor. “’Someday’ had better happen soon, Stark. The Avengers need a full roster. Remind Vision of that the next time you talk to him.”

 

Tony watched her leave, listening as the echo of her shoes died away. Once he was alone again, and the silence fell heavy, he turned back to his worktable. Resetting the test parameters for his armor, he suited up once again and got to work.

 

***

 

“How’re ya doin’, honey?” Bucky asked softly.

 

Lexi had been leaning against a stone retaining wall, staring somewhat blankly at the ground, exhaustion weighing down all of her limbs, but she looked up at the sound of his voice. “I’m okay,” she assured him with a weary smile. “Just tired.”

 

“You sure? Tonight was kind of a lot.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing over her cheek.

 

“I’m just…beat,” she yawned, blinking slowly. The sun had already risen and she was feeling every bit of the long night they’d just experienced.

 

Once the situation at the border station with Mukisa had been handled, they had gone to every village in the Border Tribe to rout out the thieves that were terrorizing the countryside. Dozens of men had been taken into custody over the course of several hours, they were being transported to different holding facilities in small groups. There had been injuries and fatalities; one of the terrorists had made the mistake of entering the rhino pen and had been trampled, not that anyone felt remotely sorry for him.

 

There was still a lot of cleanup to do and wounded to care for, and it would take several days, at least, probably a few weeks to set everything right. For now, though, all Lexi wanted was a warm shower and a nap, and she told Bucky as much. “I’ll go see if I can rustle up a ride home for us, okay?” he said, getting to his feet.

 

In the end, Okoye took them back to the village, saying she needed to see how much damage the homestead had sustained during the attack. “Let us know if you need any help,” Lexi mumbled as they climbed stiffly out of the hovercraft in their front yard.

 

“I will check in with you tonight,” she nodded, a grateful smile on her face. When Lexi made to slide off the kimoyo bead bracelet she had borrowed at the border station, Okoye waved her off. “Keep it,” she said. “You’ll need it over the next few days at least, I imagine. Now go get some sleep.”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky groaned, as they turned to head inside.

 

With a gentle hand on the nape of her neck, Bucky steered Lexi into the bathroom. He got them both into the shower, and then scrubbed them clean.

 

“You did so well, sweetheart,” he murmured later as he slowly brushed her damp hair.

 

“Yeah?” she asked, her eyes drooping shut.

 

“Yeah,” he smiled. “I’m so proud of you. You helped so many people. Took care of everyone.”

 

“So did you,” she replied sleepily, turning into his embrace.

 

As always happened when Lexi was sleepy, she snuggled closer and closer, seeking warmth. Bucky set the hairbrush on the nightstand and lay back, pulling a soft blanket over her shoulders as she burrowed into his side. He kissed her forehead as she got comfortable, resting her head on his chest, and they drifted off to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The conversations between Nick and Steve/Maria and Tony are based on events in “Captain Marvel Prelude,” written by Andrea Di Vito and published November 14, 2018.
> 
> TWO WEEKS TO GO. I have my tickets for Thursday night at 7:30. I'm stockpiling tissues and Gatorade. I'm not emotionally ready for this. At all. I'm telling you now, that I will not post any spoilers at any time.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me through this. I know there have been more delays than I ever would have expected. I have maybe two or three chapters left and I have about half of each chapter written.
> 
> So many translations! Any errors are the property of Google Translate. :D
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	20. Birds and Bees, Flowers and Trees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close to the end....
> 
> I'm giving a SMUT WARNING, but also letting people know (SPOILER ALERT) that the smut in this chapter is pretty damn significant.
> 
> On a personal note, post-op is going well, even though the retinal tear was worse than they originally thought. It was caught early enough that the repair prevented further detachment. So...yay? Well, yes. Yay.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!

 

They spent a large portion of the next few weeks helping to set the villages of the Border Tribe to rights, assisting wherever possible. Lexi also helped Shuri on a safety measure that they couldn’t ignore. “I used the collars that we took from Mikusa and from Miss Maximoff and figured out a way to put a power-dampening field over the border stations and the refugee centers,” she said. “We could use your help testing it.”

 

It wasn’t fun—it was damned uncomfortable, actually—but Lexi was willing to assist anywhere she could. It took a couple of days to set the frequency to the proper level that would diminish Lexi’s powers without being painful. Bucky worried about her, as the headaches she suffered as a result were significant, but he didn’t try to dissuade her. He understood her motivations, and did whatever he could to alleviate her pain.

 

“This will help everyone in the long run,” Lexi insisted as she lay on their bed with an icepack on her forehead. “I can handle a headache or two to keep people safe.”

 

With everything going on, Lexi hadn’t spared more than a fleeting thought for what her mother had told her; it obviously wasn’t the best time to have life-altering discussions, not when they were so focused on securing the border stations. Lexi forced it out of her mind, determined to wait until everything had settled down.

 

Soon it was March, and life slowly returned to normal. Fields were harvested, the goats were kidding, and larders were stocked. Their help was needed, as was the help of all the able-bodied people in the village, to prepare for the upcoming winter months.

 

Gichinga was ready to come help with their little herd of goats, and he took to his tasks readily, obeying their verbal cues and hand gestures without fail. He was gentle with the other animals and full of energy, happily bounding around the pen and playing with the kids during the day. At night, he slept in his own bed in their front room, only wandering in once in a while to make sure his humans were sleeping safely.

 

The biggest upside of working so hard every day was that Lexi got to watch Bucky using his hard, muscular body to help the people who had become their friends. Lifting and hauling, framing and building; she fully appreciated seeing him flex and stretch for hours at a time, sweat and sunshine making his golden skin sparkle. Once or twice she may have sighed longingly. Ayo may have heard and might have teased her about it. Maybe.

 

The biggest downside of being busy doing physical labor from dawn to well after sunset, however, what with helping the villagers and doing their own chores, was that they were both falling into bed and into a dead sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Intimacy had been limited to unconscious snuggling and tired kisses, massaging of sore muscles, and sometimes brushing each other’s hair after a hot shower.

 

Finally, one warm afternoon found them with several free hours, and Lexi was determined to make the most of it. It was also March tenth, Bucky’s birthday. She told him to pick his favorite picnic spot, packed a large blanket and a lunch and they set off together around the lake and into the trees. After strolling through the forest for the better part of a half-hour, Lexi could hear water, a slow-running river, perhaps, up ahead.

 

“I found this place by accident about a week or so after I came here,” Bucky said, smiling. “I thought you might like to see it.”

 

The sound of the water grew louder until they stepped out of the trees, and before them was, indeed, a lazy river, bordered on both sides by sandy shores and lush trees. On the far side of the river, beyond the trees, cliffs rose straight up about a hundred feet.

 

“Oh, Bucky,” Lexi breathed, looking up and down the banks. “This is beautiful.”

 

“It’s not very deep or fast-moving, so I was able to swim a little bit as well,” Bucky explained. “Feels really good on a hot day.”

 

“That sounds like a great idea,” Lexi said, setting her things down in the dappled sunlight under the tall, high-arching tree they were standing next to. She took the large, soft blanket they had packed and unrolled it, spreading it out and placing their food basket on top of it. Once that was done, she sat and began taking off her shoes. “Last one in?” she grinned up at Bucky, who laughed happily.

 

“You do have a bit of an advantage, you know,” he joked, waving his hand at her. She stuck her tongue out at him and continued to remove her boots and socks. Bucky slipped off his sandals and then worked on undoing the belt that was wrapped around his kanga.

 

“Can I help you?” Lexi asked, getting slowly to her feet.

 

Bucky watched her closely, seeing the color start to rise in her cheeks before she bit her bottom lip playfully. “If you’d like,” he said softly, giving her a little smile in return.

 

She walked across the blanket until she was standing in front of him. She looked up at him through her lashes and then reached for his belt, unhooking and loosening it until the ends separated. It fell from his waist and landed on the blanket with a dull _thump._ Lexi remained, not moving, her hands still resting on his stomach.

 

“Thank you,” he murmured, running his hand gently from her elbow to her shoulder.

 

There was a thrumming in her veins, a spark of electricity that danced over her skin; it had been _far_ too long since they’d been together. Lexi swallowed hard, her breathing sounding a little shaky. Her eyes were slightly dilated, he noticed. Maybe that was because they were in the shade of a large tree, but probably not.

 

“Hey,” Bucky said quietly, a slight furrow forming between his brows, “are you cold, sweetheart? You’re trembling.”

 

She shook her head, her fingers tightening and bunching in the fabric of his clothing. “I’m not cold,” she whispered.

 

He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Everything’s okay, baby girl. We have lots of time.”

 

She took a deep breath and nodded, smiling back. “Yeah,” she said, backing up a couple of steps.

 

Bucky smirked and tugged the upper part of the kanga over his head and let it slide to the ground, leaving him in his boxer briefs and sleeveless shirt.

 

Lexi slid off her cargo pants. Bucky paused for a second, grinning at her, before tugging his shirt off. He reached for the cuff on his left shoulder, giving it a little twist to ensure that the faceplate of the cuff was closed and the connection ports were sealed shut.

 

“Shuri did an incredible job,” Lexi said, impressed with the genius’s work all over again. “That’s brilliant.”

 

“Lucky for me she made it waterproof,” he smirked, “or all those times you dumped me in the lake would have done a number on it for sure.”

 

“Ha ha ha,” Lexi responded drily, peeling her tank top off, leaving her in a sports bra and seamless boy shorts. They left their clothes in a rather untidy heap on the blanket and made their way, hand-in-hand, down to the river. Soft sand lined the shore and was warm under their feet.

 

As soon as her toes hit the water, Lexi sighed. “Oh, that’s good.”

 

Bucky chuckled, wading in deeper. “I know, right?” He made his way out to its deepest point, near the center, and the water was still only just above waist high on him. “There’s just enough current out here to swim against, which is great, and it’s almost completely calm in that little inlet over there.” He pointed to a small, circular area that the river had carved into the rocks near the shore.

 

Lexi splashed a bit as she made her way over to him. “I know we’re in Africa, but I expected the water to be colder than this.”

 

“Me, too, but it’s nice—cool without being freezing,” Bucky said, turning to point upriver toward some mountains in the distance. “It comes from up there. Do you see that canyon between the two mountains?”

 

Lexi nodded, “Yes.”

 

“The top of it is called Warrior Falls. That’s where they have the ceremony to see if anyone wants to challenge the King for the throne,” Bucky said. “The main part of this river goes past Mount Bashenga and then out toward the Jibari Tribe.”

 

“Yeah, I heard from Shuri that the last challenge didn’t go so well for T’Challa,” Lexi said, her lips pursed somewhat.

 

“Lexi,” Bucky growled playfully, tugging her over and wrapping his arm around her. “T’Challa’s a good King. He’s also a nice person, and a good man.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad you decided to give him a chance.”

 

“I know,” she groused. “It was just really hard when I had to watch him trying to kill you on the news. Repeatedly.”

 

“All a misunderstanding,” he said, holding her close. “And I think he’s more than made up for it by helping me.”

 

Lexi sighed. “I try to remember that.” When he looked at her with a quirked eyebrow, she said, “I do! Geez, give me a little credit, I didn’t try, even a little bit, to kill him when I got here.”

 

Bucky looked at her, a little wide-eyed. “That may be the strangest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

 

Lexi huffed a laugh, trying not to sound down. “Yeah, well, it’s been a strange couple of years.”

 

“I know, baby,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’m gonna do everything I can to make it up to you.”

 

“You already have,” she said, hugging him tight around the waist. “Happy birthday, love.”

 

“Thanks, baby doll,” he smiled, so happy to be standing there with her, enjoying the peace and quiet, nothing moving but the slow-running river.

 

Lexi sighed happily, tipping her head back and looking up at him through her lashes. “Hi,” she said, a silly smile on her face.

 

“Hi,” Bucky chuckled, peering down at her. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, wondering if she was teasing or not. When she continued to look up at him, almost batting her eyelashes, he asked, “What are you up to?”

 

Grinning impishly at him, Lexi planted both hands in the middle of his chest and pushed. As he was slightly off-balance, he flailed and went over with a big splash; he came up spluttering, pushing the wet hair out of his face. “You little brat!” he yelled at her with a giant grin as she tried to get away. “You are gonna get it!”

 

Lexi squealed with laughter as he bounded through the water after her. Since she was considerably shorter, it was harder for Lexi to move through the water, and Bucky caught up to her quickly, tackling her.

 

They splashed and dunked each other, playing together until they were both breathless from swimming and laughing. Finally Bucky reeled her in and kissed her, murmuring, “I love you so much.”

 

“I love you, too,” she replied, winding her arms around his neck and pulling him down to kiss her again. It was sweet and soft, and it felt like home.

 

Lexi pressed up against him, her hands weaving into his wet hair as he held her tight. Despite the cool temperature of the water, their kiss soon heated up, both of them trying to get as close as possible. “Bucky,” she whimpered.

 

“Sweetheart,” he replied roughly, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers. _“Moy kotenok.”_

 

“Please, Bucky,” Lexi whispered. “Please.”

 

Looking down into her eyes, he saw the need there; he was sure she was seeing the same look in his. “C’mere, baby girl,” he murmured, leaning down slightly and scooping her up with his single arm.

 

Lexi had her arms around his neck and shoulders, and when Bucky slid his arm under her backside, she wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to him. As Bucky waded out of the river, Lexi was kissing and nibbling at the long muscle that ran down the side of his neck, licking the cool, clear water from his skin.

 

Making his way back onto shore, Bucky swore under his breath; he carried Lexi to the blanket she had spread out earlier and carefully let her drop her feet to the ground. She stayed close, pressed up against him as they resumed kissing, their hands sliding over each other’s wet skin. She inhaled a bit sharply when Bucky’s hand slid up the back of her sports bra.

 

“No one here but us, _malyshka,”_ he murmured against her lips. “No one for miles.”

 

She moaned softly, using both of her hands to peel the wet clothing off her body and toss it aside. They were both grinning as they finished disrobing, feeling a little naughty at the possibility, remote as it was, that they might be discovered. Bucky caught her hand and pulled her close. “C’mere, beautiful,” he whispered, ducking his head to kiss her again.

 

Soon enough, they found themselves stretched out across the blanket, Bucky laying on his left side in order to free his right hand. He stroked and caressed and teased until Lexi was begging and pleading for him to please, please, _please_ let her come.

 

“I want you to come on my cock, baby girl,” he growled in her ear. “I want to feel you squeeze me tight and milk me dry.”

 

Lexi growled at him, pushing his shoulder until he rolled onto his back, and she straddled him with a quickness he hadn’t been expecting. “That’s what you get for teasing me,” she said, smirking at his look of surprise.

 

“I’m not complaining, darlin’,” he grinned in response. “I love my wildcat.”

 

She wasted no time in lining his hard shaft up with her entrance and sliding down, only pausing once as her muscles clamped down on him. “Jesus,” he groaned. “Sweetest, tightest little thing, drives me fuckin’ crazy every goddamn time, my bright, beautiful girl.”

 

Lexi circled her hips, working him inside her inch by inch, moaning at the fullness and the stretch. Bucky kept his hand on her hip; his thumb made soft, slow circles over the delicate skin covering her hipbone, until he was completely sheathed within her. “Oh, fuck,” she sighed, sitting up straight. Her head fell back and her fingers trailed down Bucky’s chest and over his ribcage. “Damn, you feel good.”

 

“Mmm,” he hummed in agreement, tilting his hips slightly, watching as the sunlight filtered through the leaves above them to fall on her softly glowing skin. Lexi inhaled deeply and her eyelids fluttered as her stomach muscles clenched. “Sweet Jesus, Lex,” he rasped, “don’t know how much longer I can keep still.”

 

She rolled her hips slowly, so slowly, that Bucky’s eyes rolled back in his head. “I want this to last,” she murmured.

 

“I’m all yours, sweetheart,” he replied breathily. “Take what you want.”

 

He stared openly as the love of his life gyrated over him, her hips swiveling in a hypnotic rhythm. Her hair fell in damp tendrils around her shoulders, drops of water trailing down her chest and over her breasts, dripping occasionally onto his stomach or his thighs. A warm breeze wafted through, making her shiver; the resulting hitch in her breathing and the clench of her abdominal muscles made Bucky moan.

 

“Baby,” he exhaled, “I’m getting close.”

 

“Don’t come yet,” Lexi smiled dreamily.

 

“Not sure I can hold off much longer,” he chuckled, the heat pooling low in his stomach.

 

“Yes, you can,” she teased, biting her bottom lip. “You’ll wait for me.”

 

“I love your faith in me.”

 

The thrumming in her blood had built steadily, the feeling of sparks dancing over her skin accelerating as she moved, and the coiled tension in her belly got tighter and tighter, until she couldn’t stop her pelvis from snapping forward. “Unh!” she groaned, starting to pant.

 

“You’re close, baby?” Bucky asked through clenched teeth.

 

Lexi nodded quickly, her movements becoming erratic. “Fuck me,” she gasped, dropping forward to place her hands on the blanket above Bucky’s shoulders. “Please, Bucky, fuck me.”

 

“Yes, love,” he gritted out, his hand circling around her to press down on her lower back. He planted his feet and began to thrust upward, hard and fast.

 

 _“Yes,”_ she exhaled loudly, her voice deep and raspy. With every drive into her, her hands slipped slightly, until they slid off the blanket altogether and onto the grassy soil. She finally braced her herself against the base of the tree, her fingers curling into the earth and wrapping around two of the shallower roots just as her muscles locked in place.

 

“God, baby girl,” Bucky moaned, “I gotta—I—I’m gonna—“

 

The rest of what he said was lost to the roaring in her ears.

 

_She was laughing as a small child with bright blue eyes and dark, curly hair, ran to her across a grassy yard and leaped into her arms. She looked up, still smiling, as Bucky approached, beaming with happiness. “She missed her Momma,” he said, wrapping them both in his arms._

_“I wasn’t gone that long, silly,” she grinned, shaking her head. She kissed the little girl on the forehead._

_“Any time at all is too long,” he murmured, cupping her cheek in a warm metal hand._

 

The vision ended as quickly as it started, and Lexi was filed with an immediate and overpowering sense of _want._ Her head flew back and her eyes flew open, the light so bright that Bucky could see it, even with his own eyes clenched shut. A sudden flare of intense heat in her belly made her gasp and clutch at the roots in her hands, sending a blast of energy down her arms and into the ground.

 

They moved together, riding out their shared climax, not even noticing the branches shuddering above them as new growth burst forth, several leaves raining down around them. “Oh, my god,” Lexi whispered in shock against Bucky’s chest.

 

“You can say that again,” Bucky huffed, the smile in his tone obvious to her ears, clearly oblivious to the fact that Lexi was stunned into stillness. “That was…incredible. Don’t know if you’ve ever shone so bright. So damned gorgeous, sweetheart.”

 

For several seconds, there was nothing but the sound of their breathing and the rustle of the tree above them as they let their heart rates slow. Bucky gently rubbed his cheek against Lexi’s hair while he hummed softly, then something brushed against his face and he twitched, knocking it away.

 

Lexi flinched a moment later and murmured, “What’s that?” She picked her head up and said, “What is this?”

 

Bucky opened his eyes just in time for something soft and white to land on his forehead. He shook it off and looked around—and started laughing. “Is it snowing?” he asked, grinning.

 

All around them, white flowers rained down in a shower of petals; the tree above them was bursting with blooms, new branches growing even as they watched.

 

“Wow,” he exhaled, sitting up. He still held Lexi close, the two of them wrapped around each other as the petals fell all around them.

 

“Oops,” Lexi said a little sheepishly. She held out her hand, petals piling up on her palm within seconds.

 

“How did this happen?” Bucky laughed, blowing the foliage out of her hand. “Did we do this?”

 

“Yeah,” she replied, huffing a laugh, her panic momentarily forgotten. “We had a lot of pent-up energy, I guess, and we just, uh, released it.”

 

“Straight into a tree,” he chuckled, smiling at her. Petals and leaves were stuck in her damp hair, making her look like a woodland nymph. “I love you,” he smiled, just staring at her in wonder.

 

“I love you, too,” she replied, looking into his eyes as her mind raced.

 

_What had she done?_

 

***

 

Over the course of the next several weeks, Lexi managed to convince herself that nothing Earth-shattering had actually happened; she had obviously imagined the whole thing. Everything was fine. Definitely.

 

April had begun, the fall weather gorgeous in every way. The villages had been completely repaired, security at the border stations had been increased with Shuri’s dampening fields, and everyone was happy and healthy. Their own little homestead was thriving, both goats and puppy doing well, though Gichinga had recently developed a habit that Bucky occasionally found irksome; every night, he dragged his bed from the living room into their bedroom, setting up on Lexi’s side of the bed.

 

“He’s promoted himself to being your personal guard dog,” he grumbled, carrying the round, fluffy bed back out to the front room like he did every morning.

 

“He’s so sweet,” Lexi cooed at the chocolate-brown dog as she sat on the edge of their bed, cupping his face and rubbing his ears with both hands. “Aren’t you, my big boy? Yes, you are, such a good boy.”

 

“Rewarding him with cuddles is not the way to make him stay in the front room at night,” Bucky reminded her, walking back in as the big puppy rolled onto his back, begging for belly rubs.

 

“He just wants to be near us,” Lexi said, caving in and providing the requested belly rubs. “He loves us.”

 

“He loves _you,”_ Bucky corrected her. “It was bad enough when Steve was interrupting us at HQ, I refuse to be cock-blocked by our dog in our own home.”

 

“That only happened once,” she snickered, trying to hold in her laughter.

 

“He growled at me!”

 

Gichinga flipped over and barked, high and sharp. Bucky rolled his eyes.

 

“See?”

 

“It’s okay,” Lexi chuckled, scratching his soft, fluffy head. “Mommy and Daddy aren’t fighting, sweet boy.” Gichinga popped up and licked right across her face. “Uck.”

 

“Dog slobber means love!” Bucky called out, slapping his thigh. “Come on, Gigi, Daddy will get you some breakfast!”

 

At the mention of food, the small dog’s head and ears perked up and he quickly followed Bucky out the door.

 

“Food is more important than Mommy, got it,” Lexi snorted, and then she pushed herself to her feet. With no warning whatsoever, the room spun around her; she sat on the bed again quickly, putting her hands down to steady herself. “Whoa,” she whispered, staring at the floor, breathing deeply and waiting for the colorful sparkles dancing on the edges of her vision to go away.

 

“Hey, Lex? Do you want eggs this morning?” Bucky called from the kitchen.

 

Once the room finally stopped spinning like a disco ball, Lexi got slowly to her feet. She stood there for a few seconds, and as soon as she knew that everything was going to stay put, she realized that she was absolutely starving. “That sounds great,” she replied.

 

“Scrambled eggs, coming up.”

 

She took one more deep breath and exhaled slowly; she looked around carefully, and nothing moved. “Hmm,” she hummed to herself, “okay, then.”

 

She went out to the kitchen and made a beeline for the refrigerator, grabbing the bottle of juice. She took a glass down from the cabinet, filled it to the brim, and drank it all, gulping it down; the cool, sweet juice exploded in flavor and slaked her thirst. “Oh, my god, that’s good,” she sighed happily. Then she filled the glass again.

 

“You okay?” Bucky asked, chuckling. “Need some alone time with your juice?”

 

“Just really thirsty,” she replied, still sipping as she put the bottle back in the fridge. “I stood up too fast, got dizzy. My blood sugar must be low.”

 

“Do you feel alright?” he frowned, watching her closely.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine now. I’m super hungry, though.”

 

“Have a seat, eggs’ll be ready in a minute.”

 

“Mmm, thank you,” she said, stopping to kiss between his shoulder blades as she walked by. Once seated at the table, she asked, “Puppy and goats all fed?”

 

“Yup, I’ll let them out into the pen as soon as we’re done here,” he said, scooping a heaping pile of scrambled eggs onto two plates.

 

They ate and chatted, planning their day, and then Lexi washed the dishes while Bucky let the animals out into the pen. She nibbled on a piece of toast when she was done, and finished just as Bucky stuck his head in the door.

 

“Sweetheart, Shuri’s here!”

 

Lexi quickly wiped her hands off before going outside, where the young woman stood with Bucky; he had his hand in his pants pocket and a huge smile on his face. “Good morning,” Lexi called out.

 

“Good morning, Lexi,” Shuri replied, waving at her. She was holding a small, rectangular object n her hand. “I have your satellite phone.”

 

“Oh, yay,” Lexi said, grinning as Shuri handed it over.

 

“I’ve thoroughly tested the new battery, so I can promise you that it will not explode or otherwise destroy your archaic little device.”

 

“I love my archaic little device,” Lexi mumbled protectively, holding it close to her heart. “This phone got me through some rough times.”

 

“Yes, well,” Shuri said, clearly unconvinced, “when you come to your senses and want a new one, just let me know.”

 

“Don’t hold your breath,” Bucky murmured out of the corner of his mouth, squawking when Lexi’s hand snaked out lightning-fast to poke him in the ribs.

 

“I heard that, smart ass. Don’t make me sic Gigi on you.”

 

“Gigi?” Shuri asked, confused.

 

“Our herding-dog-slash-Lexi’s-personal-guard-dog,” Bucky answered, shaking his head in feigned annoyance. “Whatever anyone else thinks Gichinga’s job actually is, he’s decided that Momma’s safety is job number one.”

 

“He’s just jealous,” Lexi whispered teasingly, then had to jump out of the way when Bucky tried to retaliate with a swat to the backside.

 

“Before you two start your weird mating rituals,” Shuri said with a flat expression.

 

“Hey!”

 

Shuri ignored Bucky. “I also thought you might want to know that we found Mikusa’s family.”

 

“Were they alright?” Lexi asked worriedly.

 

“Underfed and a few injuries, but they will recover quickly,” Shuri smiled. “We have granted them permanent asylum here.”

 

“And the people who were holding them?” Bucky asked with a scowl.

 

“Dealt with.”

 

“Thank you,” Lexi grinned, a tear or two pricking at the corner of her eyes. So she was feeling kind of emotional for the scared little boy, whatever.

 

“It was our pleasure.”

 

***

 

Early in the morning, a few days later, Bucky wandered out of their bedroom to find Lexi putting the finishing touches on a huge breakfast; French toast, bacon, and fruit salad were all sitting on the table, and coffee in Bucky’s personal French press was next to his plate. Gichinga was sound asleep on his pillow next to an empty food dish.

 

“What’s all this?” he asked, rubbing his face. Suddenly he stopped and his eyes widened. “Did I forget an anniversary?”

 

“No,” Lexi snorted. “I just woke up really hungry, so I decided to make breakfast.”

 

“Lex,” Bucky shook his head in confusion, “it’s only just seven o’clock.”

 

“I know,” she laughed. “Look at this, though.” She picked her phone up off the counter and handed it to him. “They’re in Lebanon.”

 

Bucky stared at the GPS screen for a few seconds. “They just got there?”

 

“I think so,” Lexi replied. “My tracker was going off when I woke up. They stopped moving about half an hour ago.”

 

“I’m gonna call Steve,” Bucky said, handing her phone back to her, then returning to the bedroom to get his own phone. Several minutes passed before he came back out to the kitchen, still chatting.

 

“Let us know if you need anything, okay?” he said, then nodded to himself as the person on the other end of the line replied. “Got it. Talk to you soon.”

 

“They’re on a mission?” Lexi asked as soon as Bucky hung up.

 

“Yeah, they’ve been finding weird dirty bombs made with alien tech,” Bucky answered, sitting down at the kitchen table.

 

“Crap,” Lexi sighed, shaking her head in disbelief as she came over to join him, a mug of hibiscus tea in her hand.

 

“They’re pretty sure they’ve traced them back to one maker, so they’re looking to take them down.”

 

“Good.”

 

“He did tell me something else interesting,” Bucky said. When Lexi looked at him expectantly, he continued. “Nick Fury came to see them.”

 

“He did?” she asked, eyes wide in surprise.

 

“He did. Wanted them to make up with Stark.”

 

“Uh…” she trailed off, uncertainly.

 

“Yeah,” Bucky snorted, pouring himself a cup of coffee, “fat chance. I know.”

 

“Well, it’s not just a matter of making up with Tony, which I think they’d all be fine with,” Lexi said. Bucky raised his eyebrows. “It’s the Accords and Ross that are the big problem now.”

 

Bucky smirked wryly. “I don’t know if Fury really gives a damn about either of those things.”

 

“Whether he does or not,” Lexi frowned, “Steve and Nat and Sam have to be concerned. They’re the ones who will go to jail if Ross catches them. And so will Tony if Ross finds out he’s working with them.”

 

“True.” He took a bite of French toast and moaned. “This is great, honey, thank you.” At Lexi’s continued worried expression, he said. “They can take care of themselves, baby doll. They’ll be alright.”

 

“I know,” Lexi said, her brow furrowed. “I just can’t help but feel like this is all going to come to a head soon.”

 

Bucky set his fork down and looked at her seriously. “You think so?”

 

Lexi nodded. “I do. Something is going to happen, sooner or later, and we’re going to need everyone’s help, no matter what the Accords say.”

 

Bucky’s jaw clenched briefly as he chewed. “Well,” he said, “let’s hope it’s later and not sooner.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. That happened. For everyone who's been asking since Chapter 19 of RYAR, IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENED.
> 
> Only two chapters--at most--to go. I'm seeing Endgame in five days. I'm wondering if I can get this done beforehand. I'll certainly try.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's hung on through this story! I'll do my best to make the ending count!
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	21. The Battle of Wakanda, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this?? Two chapters in two days?? Yup, it's true, and I'm hoping to finish the last one to post tomorrow! It helps that I've been writing this chapter for about 10 months now.
> 
> IF YOU HAVEN'T READ CHAPTER 20 YET, READ THAT FIRST. IT'S PRETTY IMPORTANT!!

 

The truth of her situation hit her less than a week later.

 

Her heart was pounding. She was standing in front of a bathroom mirror, staring in disbelief at her reflection, a hand resting lightly on her stomach.

 

She had a medical degree; she knew what the physical symptoms were. Theoretically, anyway. She’d been certain for nearly the last thirty years that she would never experience it firsthand.

 

The morning dizziness has occurred twice more, and her appetite had definitely increased, to the point that she had once even woken up famished in the middle of the night. She tired quickly and often found herself napping after lunch.

 

A feeling of heaviness in her lower abdomen, a twinge in her pelvic muscles; her tendons and ligaments felt stretched and loosened. There was no outward sign that anything had changed, but internally, it was obvious.

 

Something had definitely happened on Bucky’s birthday down by the river. Something huge. Something impossible.

 

Or so she had thought.

 

And now the only thing she could think of was…how the _hell_ was she going to tell Bucky?

 

***

 

The first thing she decided was… _not_ to tell Bucky.

 

She wanted to be sure. She wanted to be able to tell him with one-hundred-percent certainty that she was…correct in her beliefs, and that meant taking a test. A blood test, at the very least. Which meant that she needed to talk to Shuri. She would set up a lab visit to hang out with the young genius, and…yeah. She’d pee on a stick or give a pint of blood or whatever it took to be _absolutely_ certain.

 

In the meantime, she was determined to act as normally as possible. There was no point in getting Bucky’s hopes up if she was somehow imagining all of it.

 

It was early evening in the last week of April, and they had been working in the yard, cutting and baling hay for the goats, when Lexi heard a beep and felt her sat phone vibrate against her hip. Looking at the screen, she frowned. The tracking program she had synced to Steve, Sam, and Nat’s phones had activated, indicating that they were traveling. “They’re leaving Lebanon,” she said to Bucky, who looked at her in surprise.

 

“That was quick,” he said. “I thought their meeting wasn’t until tomorrow.”

 

“I did, too,” she replied, puzzled. “They’re heading into Europe, almost due northwest.”

 

“Why would they be going there?” Bucky asked rhetorically in confusion.

 

“Would Steve call you if there was a problem?” Lexi asked.

 

“Maybe. Probably,” Bucky said, his brow furrowed. “Maybe.”

 

Lexi kept an eye on their GPS signals, watching as they flew across Europe, and just over two hours later they stopped moving. “They’re in Edinburgh, Scotland,” she said, shrugging.

 

He shook his head. “I have no idea.” He checked his phone. “No word from Stevie, so they must be pretty busy.”

 

About an hour later, as they were finishing washing dishes, Lexi was alerted that the quinjet was in the air once more, heading northwest again toward Iceland. “What the hell are they doing?” she asked, utterly confused.

 

She watched over the next hour as the quinjet started to move toward the west, then began to dip south. “Oh, my god,” she said, realization striking her.

 

“What?” Bucky asked, tugging her close on the loveseat they shared. Gichinga hopped up next to them, resting his head on Lexi’s thigh; Bucky reached over and scratched behind his ear.

 

“They’re heading straight for New York.”

 

Despite repeated attempts, Steve didn’t answer his phone when Bucky called. “They better not be doing something stupid,” Bucky mumbled.

 

“This is Steve we’re talking about,” Lexi replied, to which Bucky huffed.

 

They exchanged worried looks and left their phones on their nightstands. Just in case.

 

***

 

The next morning, she checked her phone, having been sent another alert while they slept. “Something’s definitely up,” she told Bucky as they ate breakfast. She showed him the GPS tracker. “I think they’re coming here.”

 

He nodded slowly. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” he said, getting to his feet. Leaning over to kiss Lexi’s cheek, he said, “I’m going to load the hay bales in the cart.”

 

Lexi was putting away the last of their breakfast dishes while Bucky worked in the yard when she heard people speaking outside. She looked out the door to see T’Challa, Okoye, and several of the King’s Guard standing with Bucky, a large metal case on the cart in front of him. He was looking inside it with a resigned set to his shoulders.

 

“Where’s the fight?” he asked as she walked outside.

 

T’Challa answered with a grave expression. “On its way.”

 

“What’s going on?” Lexi asked, approaching.

 

Bucky turned to face her, and that was when she saw what was in the case; a vibranium arm, a much darker grey than his old titanium one, with gold accents. She looked at Bucky quickly, and then turned to T’Challa and Okoye, seeing the determined set to their jaws and the concerned looks in their eyes.

 

“What happened?” she asked again, taking Bucky’s hand.

 

“Something is coming,” T’Challa said, and before he could explain further, Lexi’s eyes widened.

 

“It’s Thanos, isn’t it?” she whispered. “Thanos is coming.”

 

T’Challa nodded, a more serious look on his face than Lexi had ever seen. “Come. We have much to discuss.”

 

***

 

They called over to the village and found several older children who would be able to care for Gichinga and the goats if Lexi and Bucky were gone for the rest of the day or longer. They both hugged Gigi, who seemed to understand that something unusual was happening; he whined and trembled, leaning his whole body into them.

 

“It’s okay, sweet boy,” Lexi whispered, kissing the top of his head. “We’ll be back soon.”

 

“And we’ll bring new chew toys,” Bucky added softly.

 

After changing into cargo pants and boots and grabbing her pack and her phone, Lexi and Bucky joined T’Challa and Okoye in the Royal Talon Fighter. As they traveled to Mount Bashenga, where Shuri was waiting for them, Lexi told them what little she knew. “My mother isn’t very good at answering questions,” she said apologetically. “All I know is that he’s called The Mad Titan, and that he’s the strongest being she’s ever seen. I think she’s actually afraid of him.”

 

“That…doesn’t sound reassuring,” Okoye said under her breath.

 

“Your friends are on their way here,” T’Challa said, looking at Bucky and Lexi, confirming their suspicions. “Captain Rogers, Mister Wilson, Miss Romanoff, and several others.“

 

“Are they bringing Tony and Rhodey?” Lexi asked. “Is that why they went to New York?”

 

“Mister Stark is…missing,” T’Challa said. Before they could say anything, he continued. “There was an attack yesterday afternoon in New York, and Stark has not been seen since.”

 

Lexi and Bucky exchanged concerned looks as they approached Mount Bashenga, where Shuri was in her lab, preparing for their arrival.

 

Relief flooded through Lexi that she hadn’t said anything to Bucky about her suspicions—there was no way he would have been able to concentrate on what was ahead if he had known. Shuri probably wouldn’t have been able to keep quiet about it, either, now that Lexi thought about it.

 

“Good morning,” Shuri said as they entered the lab, attempting to sound cheerful, but Lexi could see the stress she was trying to hide. “I know you said that you would ask for the arm when you were ready for it,” she said to Bucky. “I’m sorry we must make this request of you.”

 

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Bucky reassured her. “You’ve all done so much for me, for both of us. I’m proud to fight with you.”

 

She smiled and took a deep breath. “Very well, _Ingcuka,_ ” she said. She pointed to a washroom at the far end. “Go clean up and put on the scrubs.”

 

“Sure thing, Princess,” he smiled. He grabbed Lexi’s hand and started to tow her along, answering Shuri’s questioning look with a chuckle and said, “Gimme a break—this might be the last time I can get her to wash my hair.”

 

“Make sure that is _all_ you do in there,” she joked as Lexi gaped at her.

 

“Shuri!” she cried, her face turning bright pink as Bucky laughed.

 

Ten minutes later and freshly washed, Bucky wandered out in his white medical scrubs, still holding Lexi’s hand. “All clean,” he said with a grin.

 

“Have a seat, Bucky,” Shuri said, motioning toward what looked like a cushy dentist’s chair. On the table next to it sat the case with the new, vibranium arm.

 

As soon as he saw the chair, Bucky stiffened. Releasing a shaky breath, he nodded and squeezed Lexi’s hand a little tighter. She turned to face him, using her other hand to cup his cheek.

 

“It’s okay, sweetie,” she whispered in his ear. “I’m right here with you.”

 

He rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you, baby.”

 

Together they walked over to the chair, Bucky taking a seat. Lexi stood on his right side as Shuri approached his left. “I’m going to raise the seat up a bit,” she warned him before she brought it up to a comfortable height. She pulled up a screen that showed the schematics for the arm and its connection ports. “Before Bucky went into cryostasis,” Shuri said to Lexi, “we were able to remove the remains of the old cuff as well as the anchors that attached it and his old arm to his neurological systems.”

 

“How did you do that?” Lexi asked, looking at the screen while she held Bucky’s right hand in both of hers, against her chest, caressing it and his forearm soothingly.

 

“Nanotechnology,” Shuri grinned. “They were sent in to retrieve the old pieces, break them apart, and bring them out.” She showed them the screen, the digital x-ray of Bucky’s left shoulder in gold and the locations of the old metal anchors standing out starkly in blue and green. “All the steel and titanium wires that were wrapped around his ribs, his clavicle, his scapula, and his spine, the electrodes that—“ she stopped when she heard Lexi’s quietly hitched breath.

 

Lexi had tried to keep it together, but seeing the barbaric methods that Hydra used on the man she loved, laid out in vivid detail, felt like a knife to her heart and she inhaled slowly and shakily, her eyes welling up.

 

“Hey, hey, sweetheart,” Bucky said quietly, reaching up to her face. “It’s all gone now, baby. It’s all gone.”

 

“It is,” Shuri said softly. “The nanites removed it all, I promise.”

 

Lexi nodded jerkily, turning her head just a bit to kiss Bucky’s palm. “Thank you,” she said to Shuri, blinking back the tears.

 

Shuri just smiled and returned to the screen, removing the visuals of the old, clumsy, horrible hardware and overlaying the new cuff design onto Bucky’s x-ray. “The new cuff is not only much cleaner and lighter, but the vibranium can read electronic impulses without anything as archaic as wires.” She had Bucky open the front of the scrub shirt he was wearing, baring his left shoulder. The cuff was shut, the connection ports covered.

 

“All we need to do to connect it is open this,” she said, gently twisting the faceplate. It retracted easily, exposing the ports. She picked up the arm and held it to show Bucky, pointing to a small triangle that matched a mark on his cuff. “We line up these markers, and then we hold the arm in place,” she said, bringing the shoulder of the new arm up to the cuff, “—and, _voilà!_ ”

 

The arm slid into place with no force whatsoever, nothing more than a quiet _snick_ to indicate that it had attached. A tiny whirring sound was heard and then fell silent. Shuri looked at the screen, which showed the connections were all activated. “It’s done,” she said happily, gesturing to him. “Go on, give it a try.”

 

Bucky looked at her, his brow furrowed slightly. “Wait, that’s it?”

 

“That’s it,” Shuri grinned cheekily.

 

“So why did I need to get all showered and cleaned up?” he asked in confusion.

 

“Because you smelled like a goat,” Shuri said, completely straight-faced. “No one enters my lab smelling like goat.”

 

Lexi snorted loudly, slapping her hand over her mouth at the offended look on Bucky’s face.

 

Huffing a little in amused disbelief, Bucky wiggled his new left fingers. “Oh, my god,” he grinned widely. “That’s so cool.” He picked up his arm and turned it over, then looked at Lexi. “It feels just like my real arm.”

 

“Lexi,” Shuri nodded to her, “take his hand.”

 

When she reached over and slid her hand across his, he gasped, his eyes widening in shock. “Holy shit,” he whispered.

 

“You can feel that?” Lexi asked, stunned.

 

“Yeah,” he breathed, staring at their entwined fingers. “Not just the pressure and the temperature, either. I can feel your hand; I mean, _really_ feel it.” When Lexi trailed her fingertips across his palm, he laughed. “That actually tickles.”

 

“That’s amazing,” Lexi said. She looked at Shuri. “How are the sensors powered?”

 

She grinned. “Vibranium can store and redistribute kinetic energy. Anytime he moves he builds up energy to power the circuits inside—even his own heartbeat can provide it with enough power to operate.”

 

Shuri gave them a couple of minutes to look and touch the arm, Lexi tracing the gold-tone inlays with her finger as Bucky moved it around.

 

“Come on, then, get up,” Shuri said, lowering his chair back down to its original height. “Let’s try out your mobility.”

 

Bucky pulled his shirt off completely, stood up, and went through several range-of-motion exercises, smiling at Lexi. “Just like old times, huh?” he asked, chuckling, as she checked him over. Luckily, as the new arm was nowhere near as heavy as the old one had been, the physical labor he’d been engaged in at their home and the village had been more than enough to keep his muscles in shape. He moved easily, fluidly, as if the vibranium arm had always been there.

 

When they were done, Shuri had him sit down again and showed them how to remove his new arm. “There are two pressure points,” she showed them, “one on the front and one on the back where it meets the cuff. Just press and hold simultaneously for five seconds and the connections will shut down and disengage.”

 

After demonstrating how to remove and attach the arm, she had Bucky try it by himself, and then Bucky asked Lexi to do it as well. “Never know when I’ll need…a hand,” he smirked, waving his new metal fingers at her. Shuri snorted and rolled her eyes.

 

“Don’t ever tell that joke again,” Lexi shook her head, refusing to smile. “That was awful.”

 

Standing up, Bucky said, “We still have one more test to run.”

 

“What test is that?” she asked, looking up at him.

 

Bucky grinned and wrapped his two arms around her waist, easily hoisting her up against his chest. Lexi hugged him tightly, smiling so hard that her cheeks ached. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” he whispered. “I should have done this ages ago.”

 

“Your hugs have always been the best,” Lexi replied quietly, “whether they were with one arm or two never mattered to me.”

 

“I love you, baby girl,” he said, kissing her cheek.

 

“Love you back,” she murmured.

 

“Okay, okay, enough of the mushy love stuff,” Shuri said, waving her hands at them. “Come with me. We need to get you both suited up.”

 

“Suited up?” Lexi asked, confused.

 

“Of course,” Shuri said, gesturing to Lexi’s attire. “You need more protection than a regular shirt and pants can provide.” She led them over to a full-body scanner. “Lexi,” she nodded toward a circle on the floor, “stand over there.”

 

Raising her eyebrows, Lexi shrugged. “Okay.” She stood in the circle as the scanner did its job, Shuri flipping through options on her touchscreen. Immediately, her sand table went to work, producing an entire outfit of black and dark blue body armor in seconds; snug black undergarments and socks, a form-fitting, high-neck, sleeveless vest, arm-length gauntlets, sleek pants, and boots.

 

Shuri took them off the table and handed them to her. “Go change,” she said, shooing Lexi away. Turning back to her screen, she gestured to Bucky. “Your turn.”

 

By the time Lexi was pulling on her boots, Bucky was walking in with his own set of clothes. A dark blue jacket, brown pants and brown boots. He held up his own set of black undergarments with a grin. “Vibranium underwear. I feel better knowing my briefs are bulletproof.”

 

“What do you think?” Lexi asked, standing up and turning around.

 

“Whoever this Thanos asshole is, we’re going to need to put him down fast, because you look fucking hot,” Bucky growled.

 

Lexi huffed a laugh, blushing. “Get changed, handsome,” she said softly.

 

“It’s gonna be weird wearing real pants again,” he chuckled, setting his new clothes down and stripping out of his medical scrubs. His vibranium arm worked perfectly, seamlessly, almost as if he had been born with it. He pulled the clothes on, easily managing the fine motor skills and snapping and buckling the garments in place.

 

His blue jacket, which looked like sueded leather with brown leather accents, crossed over the front of his body, fastening on the right. The right sleeve was long, covering his flesh arm; there was no left sleeve. He left the collar open slightly, the black undershirt covering his throat visible where it parted.

 

“Looks good,” Lexi said, nodding. “Blue and brown, I like it.”

 

He smiled at her. “I asked Shuri for a favor,” he admitted. “More Howling Commando, less Winter Soldier.” Once he got his boots on, he stood up straight and smiled. “Look at that, did it all by myself,” he chuckled, turning around slowly. “Did I miss anything?”

 

“Only this,” Lexi replied, wrapping her arms around his shoulders once he was face forward again. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, and he pulled her in close, running both hands over her back.

 

“Looking forward to putting both of these hands to good use later,” he murmured against her lips.

 

“Are you both decent in there?” Shuri called out. “My brother is waiting at the medical center at the edge of Birnin Zana. Your friends will be here soon.”

 

They stopped at the Armory to pick up the crate of Bucky’s belongings that he’d left there nearly two years before, as it was full of the weapons he’d arrived with, and then they got into the talon fighter and headed to the outskirts of the city. As they flew, they loaded their weapons and strapped them on, each of them loading several extra magazines and storing them in their pockets. Lexi emptied her pack, pocketing extra clips and sheathing knives.

 

Bucky hefted his biggest rifle, an M249 SAW, in his left arm. “Wasn’t sure I’d ever see this again,” he murmured. He blew out a determined breath and loaded it, grabbing extra ammunition. Lexi picked up extra clips and ammunition for her Glocks, which were holstered at her sides.

 

The trip was quick, and not long after the group arrived at the medical center on the edge of the city, the quinjet was touching down. Not having seen him for quite a while, Bucky immediately followed T’Challa and Okoye out to meet Steve and the others. Lexi followed at a more sedate pace, giving the friends time to greet each other.

 

T’Challa and Steve were discussing the forces that were available to fight, such as the King’s Guard and the Dora Milaje, when Lexi heard Bucky chime in with a grin, “And a semi-stable hundred-year-old man.”

 

Steve grinned, moving quickly to hug his friend. “How ya been, Buck?”

 

Bucky replied, smiling. “Not bad, for the end of the world.”

 

They had turned and were heading back her way when Lexi suddenly realized who else was with them. She saw Nat and Sam, of course, but also Rhodey, Wanda, Vision, and—

 

“Bruce?” she blurted out, rushing forward.

 

“Lexi?” he said, grinning widely as she raced past the others and jumped on him, hugging him tight. “I didn’t know you were here.”

 

“ _Me?_ Where the hell have you been?” she asked, tears threatening. “Did Ross get you? What happened?”

 

“Oh, no, honey,” he chuckled, “it’s a very long story.” She dropped back down to her feet and smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. “How did you end up here?” he asked.

 

Bucky stepped forward then and put his new left arm around her shoulders. “That’s also a pretty long story,” he said, kissing the side of her head.

 

Bruce looked back and forth between them. “You’re still together?” he grinned. When they nodded, Lexi blushing brightly, he said, “That’s so great!”

 

“Wait,” Lexi looked at him in confusion, “’still together?’ How did you know? We didn’t tell anyone until after—after you disappeared.”

 

“I saw you two once, back at HQ, after a Hydra raid,” he admitted softly, his cheeks turning slightly pink. “You seemed, uh, rather close.” He took a good look at Lexi then, noticing what she was wearing. “Why do you look like you’re ready to fight?” he asked quietly.

 

“ _So_ much to catch you up on, pal,” Bucky said, slinging an arm around Bruce’s shoulders.

 

“Hey, Boo,” Sam murmured, giving her a swift hug as he held Vision upright. “Good to see you again.”

 

“You, too,” Lexi replied, softly, hugging both Wanda and Vision as quickly as she could.

 

“We have much to discuss,” T’Challa said loudly. “Let us step inside, please.”

 

“C’mon, Lex,” Nat urged her forward. “We don’t have much time.”

 

***

 

Once inside the medical center, Bruce and Shuri got down to business, discussing how to remove the Mind Stone from Vision’s forehead without killing him. While they were talking, Steve filled them in on what had already happened and what they were expecting, none of it good. He then organized and handed out comms for everyone to use. “Sam, Buck, Rhodey,” he said, “head on out, report anything you see.”

 

Bucky and Lexi both tucked their earpieces in and, after giving Lexi a meaningful look and a lingering kiss, he followed Sam outside.

 

“So,” Sam started as they walked outside, “how’s everything been goin’, man?”

 

“Good,” Bucky nodded. “Lex and I are settled into our new place, we got a dog—“

 

“Yeah?” Sam grinned.

 

“Yeah,” he smiled. “His name’s Gichinga, which means ‘Fearless,’ but we call him Gigi. He loves Lexi so much it’s ridiculous. He guards her.”

 

“That’s adorable,” Rhodey snickered.

 

“How’s she been doin’?”

 

“Fine, for the most part,” Bucky replied as they made the courtyard. “I think she might have known, like subconsciously, that Thanos was coming.”

 

“Why do you think that?” Sam asked, frowning as he looked off into the distance, scanning the horizon.

 

“She’s been kind of distracted for a few days, like something’s been weighing on her mind,” Bucky said, looking up into the sky. “I figured I’d give her another couple of days before I started bugging her about it, but…oh, shit, here we go.”

 

Sam looked up into the sky as well and said, “Aw, hell no.”

 

***

 

T’Challa approached Lexi. “Doctor Shaeffer,” he began, and at her raised eyebrow he smiled. “Lexi,” he started again, “Miss Maximoff will be staying here with Shuri and Ayo.”

 

“Yes,” she nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

 

He looked around and then dropped his voice. “I believe Miss Maximoff may become…distracted…due to her concern for Vision,” he said. “I am asking you to, please, assist Ayo and Shuri should either require it.”

 

“Of course,” Lexi agreed. “I’ll do whatever I can.”

 

“Thank you,” he said sincerely, before turning back to Shuri and Bruce and their discussion of non-sequential neurons. Just a minute or so later, an alarm sounded. Everyone started looking around.

 

Okoye pulled up an image using her kimoyo bracelet, T’Challa watching carefully. “Something has entered the atmosphere,” she murmured.

 

Sam’s voice came over the comms.

 

“Hey, Cap,” he said, “we got a situation here.”

 

Everyone went to the window, eyes looking up to the sky. Huge, dark ships were hurtling toward the city.

 

“Bucky?” Lexi said, her heart in her throat.

 

“We’re okay, baby doll,” he replied, sounding totally unconcerned. Seconds later the first ship hit the dome and exploded in a massive ball of fire. “God, I love this place,” he murmured.

 

“Don’t start celebrating yet, guys,” Rhodey called out. “We got more incoming, outside the dome!”

 

The remaining ships plowed into the earth outside the perimeter, sending plumes of dirt and debris up in a concussive wave, hitting the dome and slowly dispersing.

 

Inside the medical suite, Vision struggled to stand. “It’s too late,” he grimaced. “We need to destroy the stone now.”

 

Nat turned to him with a sharp look. “Vision, get your ass back on the table.”

 

“We will hold them off,” T’Challa said, moving toward the exit.

 

“Wanda,” Steve said, glancing at Vision, “as soon as that stone’s out of his head, you blow it to hell.”

 

She nodded. “I will.”

 

“Evacuate the city,” T’Challa said loudly, members of the Dora Milaje preparing to move. “Engage all defenses,” he pointed at Steve, “and get this man a shield.”

 

Everyone started to scatter, moving toward the door, except Lexi, Shuri, Wanda, Ayo, and Vision, who was lying on the table. Lexi could see the team loading onto the transport ships, and suddenly Bucky’s voice was in her ear.

 

“We’re gonna try and end this real quick, angel face,” he said softly, and Lexi finally spotted him, climbing onto a hovercraft with Nat. “Stay safe.”

 

“You, too,” she said. “I love you.”

 

“I love you back, sweetheart,” he replied, and then the hovercrafts were moving, taking them away, toward the alien ships.

 

From that point on, all she could hear was the occasional shouted order and status update as comms were freed from personal chatter. From what she could see, the entire Jibari Tribe, what was left of the Border Tribe, the King’s Guard, the Dora Milaje—every available warrior in Wakanda, hundreds of them, were all standing up to fight. The only person she could point out with certainty was Bruce, inside the Hulkbuster armor.

 

“I should be down there,” Lexi whispered.

 

“We need you here,” Ayo said, moving to stand next to her as they gazed down at the battlefield. “They will be coming for the stone. We must protect it.”

 

“I know,” Lexi replied. “I will.”

 

Wanda had moved to stand on Lexi’s other side. For several minutes, neither said a word, until Wanda asked softly, “How are you?”

 

“I’m okay,” Lexi responded quietly. She glanced over her shoulder at Vision, who was lying motionless on the table behind them. “How are you holding up?”

 

“I’ve been better,” she answered honestly. Wanda looked at her friend for a few seconds before whispering, “Does he know?”

 

Lexi looked at her quickly. Wanda met her eyes, and then briefly glanced down toward Lexi’s still-flat stomach. Lexi inhaled shakily and turned back to look out the window. She shook her head minutely and murmured, “I wanted to be sure before I said anything. There wasn’t enough time.”

 

***

 

Comms were switched back on as Rhodey flew overhead. “I got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line!” he called out.

 

“Captain Rogers, Miss Romanoff,” T’Challa said, and the three walked down to the edge of the dome, where two…beings were waiting. Lexi could see blue sparking at the base of the dome as the trio approached.

 

“Where’s your other friend?” Nat asked, sounding innocently curious.

 

Lexi heard the muffled reply: “You will pay for his life with yours. Thanos will have that stone.”

 

Steve spoke up. “That’s not gonna happen.”

 

“You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood,” T’Challa stated angrily.

 

The same muffled voice replied smugly, “ _We_ …have blood to spare.”

 

An order that Lexi couldn’t discern was given, and the ships outside the dome grew in height, revealing their interiors.

 

Several minutes passed, and then she heard Bucky asking, “They surrender?” followed by Steve’s reply, “Not exactly.”

 

Through the comms, she could hear the warriors shouting, “ _Yibambe!_ ”

 

The alien ships opened, and thousands of creatures began pouring out, looking like swarming cockroaches in the distance. They came out of the tree line and ran toward the dome.

 

“What the hell?” Bucky said, and Lexi could hear the disbelief in his voice.

 

“Looks like we pissed her off,” Nat replied.

 

The cannon fodder—to Lexi, it was clear that was all they were—began attacking the base of the dome.

 

Okoye’s voice held disbelief. “They are killing themselves.”

 

Eventually, several of the creatures made it through the dome; severely injured, but still able to attack. Lexi immediately heard the sound of weapons fire, the Wakandan forces looking to take down every creature that came through the field. Bucky was shooting rapidly, and she could see Sam and Rhodey flying over the field, dropping explosives from the air.

 

Even that wasn’t enough to stop some of them. It went on and on, and then T’Challa’s voice came through the comms, “On my signal, open Northwest Section Seventeen.”

 

“Requesting confirmation, my King,” Ayo replied, her eyes wide. “You said _open_ the barrier?”

 

“On my signal,” he repeated.

 

“He can’t be serious,” Shuri whispered, moving as quickly as she could to get the Mind Stone out of Vision’s head.

 

“Those things are trying to get around the dome,” Lexi said, her eyes never leaving the battlefield. “The army needs to stay between us and them.”

 

Down, on the battlefield, all the fighters took off running, racing for the perimeter and the incoming aliens. “Go!” T”Challa shouted.

 

Ayo went to a touchscreen and brought up the shield defenses. “Bast have mercy on us,” she whispered, entering the command to open the dome.

 

Lexi saw a small section of the shield, bordered on either side by bright blue light, open directly ahead. Looking at Wanda, she saw her own fears mirrored there.

 

***

 

It was absolute chaos. Bucky had been in wars and in battles requiring hand-to-hand combat; this was utter pandemonium. The… _things_ …they were fighting, he had no idea what they were, other than mindless killing machines, were everywhere.

 

He fired round after round, trying to take the beasts down as quickly as possible, yet they kept moving, kept fighting, kept struggling, trying to kill them first. It was madness.

 

“How much longer, Shuri?” T’Challa called out.

 

“I’ve barely begun, brother,” she said, her hands flying over her holographic screen.

 

“You might want to pick up the pace,” T’Challa replied, trying to sound nonchalant, and failing miserably.

 

She could hear Bucky yelling, she could hear bursts of gunfire, but had no idea what was happening below them. Her agitation was building; being up in the medical center while her friends were fighting—while Bucky was fighting—outside was causing her pulse and heart rate to soar.

 

She knew how strong they were, she knew how capable they were, but there were thousands of those creatures—it was obvious that they were greatly outnumbered. Just as she began to clench her fists and was starting to feel a chill move over her, there was a thunderous noise, and the ground shook. Wanda jumped up.

 

“Thor,” Lexi breathed.

 

The Bifrost touched down in a blast of light and roaring sound, and lightning flew out from its center, eliminating dozens of the alien creatures.

 

Bruce was laughing loudly, shouting, “You guys are so screwed now!”

 

Thor was seemingly all over the battlefield, mowing down as many of the aliens as he could, blasting them to pieces. They fought as hard as they could, holding out as long as possible while Shuri operated on Vision. Wanda stood by him, cataloging every twitch and flinch.

 

She could still hear Bucky breathing and fighting; at one point she heard him say, “It’s not for sale.”

 

Before Lexi could even begin to wonder about that statement, she felt a rumble, deep in the earth. Shuri paused in her operation, looking around cautiously.

 

Wanda came over to join Lexi at the window, and they saw several huge threshers go into the ground outside of the domed barrier, burrowing underneath the field and then coming up on the inside, flying up into the air like something out of a nightmare. They looked like multiple radial saw blades stacked together, spinning out of control and destroying everyone and everything in their paths.

 

T’Challa cried out, “Fall back! Fall back now!”

 

A sudden movement, flash of red in the corner of her eye made her turn, just in time to see Wanda leaving the medical bay. “Wanda!” Lexi called, but she kept going.

 

Lexi moved to follow her, calling out to Ayo, when she saw that Ayo was frozen—not moving, not blinking, not even breathing. She turned to Shuri and found her in the same condition, immobile, her hands in the air. She could still hear the battle raging outside, so whatever was happening was only happening inside the medical suite.

 

Lexi looked around, confused. “What the hell?”

 

“Let her go.”

 

Lexi whipped around to find a woman standing there, watching her closely as a green cloak billowed out around her.

 

“Mother? What’s going on?” Lexi asked urgently.

 

“Let the witch go. You must not interfere,” the woman said, her voice serious.

 

“I must not interfere with _what?_ ” Lexi asked in disbelief.

 

“Events are unfolding that you cannot prevent. They must be allowed to occur if you are to survive.”

 

“Mother,” Lexi gritted out, _“what is happening?”_

 

“I warned you that this day would come. Do you not remember our first meeting?” the older woman reminded Lexi.

 

“Of course, I do,” her daughter replied. She recalled it clearly.

  

_“What is going to happen?” Lexi asked curiously. She felt, somehow, that she should be alarmed by what the woman was saying, but it was almost as if she was physically unable to get overly upset in her presence._

_“That I cannot tell you. If you knew, you would try to prevent it, and that cannot happen,” she said, seemingly apologetic and yet, not_.

 

“You never told me what you were referring to,” Lexi said, a sinking feeling in her stomach. “What’s going to happen, mother?”

 

“The only thing that can. The Universe will always seek balance. When Thanos has succeeded and half of all life has ceased to exist, you will help to ensure humanity’s survival.”

 

“What?” she whispered in shock.

 

“You have an important role to play in Earth’s future. It begins now.”

 

Lexi’s heart started to pound. “What have you done?”

 

Her mother responded calmly. “Birthed the woman best suited to help lead humanity after that balance has been restored. You.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLOT TWIST!!! OH, YES SHE DID! ::GAAAAASP!!!!::
> 
> Y'all thought Mama was on Lexi's side, didn't you?!? Not so much, it turns out!
> 
> Tune in tomorrow (fingers crossed) for the final chapter of Part 2!
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	22. The Battle of Wakanda, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The final chapter of Part 2!
> 
> I can't thank you all enough for sticking this out with me. The last year has been full of personal challenges that I never anticipated, and there were times I seriously doubted I would be able to finish this. You all encouraged me and kept me motivated, and I really don't know how I can ever express my thanks properly.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter (and that it doesn't make you too sad).
> 
> Off you go!

 

 

_Lexi’s heart started to pound. “What have you done?”_

_Her mother responded calmly. “Birthed the woman best suited to help lead humanity after that balance has been restored. You.”_

 

***

 

“You can’t be serious,” Lexi looked at her incredulously. “You said I was here to protect life, to defend it!”

 

“And so you shall,” she replied. “By helping Thanos succeed, you will have saved billions and ensured the continuation of your species.”

 

“I’ll save billions by helping to kill billions? Are you _insane?_ ”

 

Lexi was going to throw up, she was sure of it. This couldn’t possibly be happening. This couldn’t possibly be _her purpose_. “You’ve known this whole time what was going to happen and you didn’t tell me? How could you do that?”

 

The look on her mother’s face was cold. “Sacrifices must be made.”

 

Lexi snarled, her fists clenching, the feeling of ice water and absolute fury running equally through her veins. _“Not by me.”_

 

She lashed out, briefly seeing a surprised look on her mother’s face before breaking whatever hold the woman had over the room, just as a tall, gaunt, grey-skinned being swathed in a black cloak and bearing a double-sided spear entered the medical suite, a four-armed creature made almost entirely of teeth and claws right behind him.

 

Lexi pulled both of her Glocks and emptied the magazines into the creature, forcing it back into the hallway and putting it down. Behind her, Shuri had pulled on her sonic gauntlets and was firing upon the being in black. One swing of his spear and both Ayo and Shuri went flying, crashing through a glass panel and off the surgical platform.

 

Lexi had just finished quickly reloading and was coming for the intruder when Vision leapt off the table and tackled him, sending the both of them through a large window. She ran to the jagged opening and watched as Vision tumbled down the sloped exterior of the building and over the edge onto the battlefield below. Looking up, she spotted Sam flying overhead.

 

“Sam!” she yelled. “Vision’s left the medical center—he’s in the trees underneath you!”

 

“Got it, Boo,” he replied shortly. “Guys, we got a Vision situation here.”

 

“Somebody get to Vision!” Steve exclaimed.

 

“I got him!” Bruce yelled, flying toward the trees in his Hulkbuster armor.

 

“On my way,” Wanda said, before she shouted, her voice suddenly cutting off.

 

Lexi looked down, over the edge of the surgical platform, to where Ayo was leaning over Shuri. Ayo caught her eye as Shuri rolled over. “Shuri will be fine, _Khosi,_ go!”

 

She turned and raced out into the hallway, not even pausing as she shot another of the frightening creatures on her way out of the building. “Does anyone have eyes on Wanda?” Lexi asked, bursting through the outer doors and turning toward the field through the courtyard.

 

“Nat and Okoye have spotted her,” Bucky said. “Where are you?”

 

“Coming out now,” Lexi answered, running as fast as she could. She heard him shout on the comms as she came over the rise and saw the battle before her. “Jesus,” she whispered.

 

It was a scene straight out of hell’s nightmares; death and destruction littered the open space for miles, it seemed. Smoking wreckage, singed corpses, and churned-up earth created an acrid haze that hung heavy over the field, making her eyes water and her nose burn.

 

Bruce shouted, “Guys! Vision needs backup, now!”

 

Lexi began running toward the greatest concentration of action she could see. Something flew out of the trees, heading straight up; it hit the dome, scraping along its surface, until it exploded in a burst of blue light and flames. She kept running.

 

Far below, in a culvert, she saw Wanda, Nat, and Okoye fighting someone with long, dark blue hair, and hurtling straight toward them all was one of the giant threshers. Holstering her weapons and summoning every ounce of energy she had, Lexi clenched her fists. The chill swept over her immediately, and she _pushed_ —

 

It felt effortless; the thresher flew up, into the air and over the culvert. At the last second, the blue-haired being was thrown out of the culvert and into the spinning thresher blades. A blue _splat_ was the last sight Lexi had of it, dropping the thresher on the other side of the culvert. “Ew,” she cringed.

 

Nat’s voice came through faintly on the comms. “That’s really gross.”

 

“Lexi!” someone shouted, and she turned to see Bucky racing toward her. She opened her arms and he was there, clutching her tight. “Baby girl, why are you out here? You should be somewhere safe.”

 

“Nowhere is safe,” Lexi said, shaking her head and stammering. “My mother, she—she was here, she said—“

 

“What happened, baby?” he asked, frowning in concern as he held her.

 

“She said that my purpose, the reason I’m here—“ she gulped in air, forcing the words out, “is to _help_ Thanos.”

 

_“What?”_ he blurted, backing up and holding her at arm’s length.

 

“She said that he’s going to wipe out half of all life in the Universe, and that I need to help that happen,” she choked.

 

“But why?” he asked, just as confused as Lexi. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

 

“Because the Universe seeks balance, and that’s how he’s going to achieve it,” Lexi said, shaking her head in stunned disbelief. “By killing half of all life. Everywhere.”

 

“Holy shit,” Bucky whispered, eyes wide.

 

“We need to stop him,” Lexi said. “We can’t let him do this.”

 

Bucky locked and loaded his M249 SAW. “Let’s go.”

 

“Go to Steve, help Vision,” Lexi said. “I need to get to Thor.”

 

They both turned, easily spotting the God of Thunder, surrounded by lightning, blowing up the alien spacecraft as they tried to take off. “Be careful,” Bucky said, kissing her quickly and then backing away. “I love you, baby girl.”

 

“I love you, too, big guy,” Lexi nodded as she, too, started to leave.

 

“When this is over, I’m gonna marry you proper,” he shouted, grinning. “That’s a promise.”

 

“The gang’s almost all here, we just need to find Tony and we’ll be all set,” she replied, a big smile on her face. She felt a little prickle at her eyelids, and she desperately fought the urge to tell him about the tiny cluster of precious cells in her womb. “I’m holding you to that, because we’ve got some planning to do.”

 

He blew her a final kiss and then turned and ran into the trees to join Steve and Vision.

 

Lexi raced toward Thor’s position, stopping only briefly to push some of the horrifying creatures out of her path. They were immediately pierced by multiple tree limbs and flung away. She looked in surprise at what appeared to be a walking tree, smiling when it waved at her. “ _I am Groot,_ ” (“I am Groot,”) it said happily.

 

“Hi, Groot, I’m Lexi,” she replied, wide-eyed. “I need to talk to Thor. Can you go help Steve?”

 

“ _I am Groot,_ ” (“Yes,”) he nodded. He looked around. “ _I am Groot?_ ” (“Where is Steve Rogers?”)

 

Lexi pointed up the rise to the wooded area, where she could see Sam, Nat, and Wanda converging as well. “He’s up there.” More of the nasty teeth-and-claw creatures came at them and with a narrowing of her eyes and an impatient flick of her hand, she pushed them all into some still-spinning thresher blades.

 

“ _I am Groot,_ ” (“I’m glad you’re on our side,”) he said with a smile, loping away toward the copse at the top of the hill.

 

Thor finished disposing of the ships, coming back inside the opening in the dome to help finish off the last of the creatures. Lexi ran toward him, yelling his name when she got close enough for him to hear her. “Alexa!” he shouted, a grin splitting his face. He ran over and picked her up, practically tossing her into the air. He spun her around before setting her back on her feet. “I am so pleased to see you, my dear sister!”

 

“Sister?” a skeptical-sounding voice said from behind her. “I thought your whole family was dead.”

 

Lexi turned toward the voice and found herself looking at a raccoon who was armed quite literally to the teeth. She was stunned rather speechless. “Uh…” she said, eloquently.

 

“Alexa is my half-sister,” Thor explained, blasting several creatures. “I have been away for so long that I despaired of ever seeing her again.” He turned to look at her. “Please forgive me, sister. I never meant to leave you the way I did.”

 

“Yes, of course, I forgive you,” Lexi said, hugging him. She took a small step back and looked at him, her half-brother, for the first time in almost three years. “What happened to your hair?” She looked closer. “What the hell happened to your _eye?”_

 

“It is a very long story, _kjære,”_ he smiled, “and I’m afraid we do not have the time for it at present.” 

Steve’s voice was suddenly in Lexi’s ear. “Everyone on my position. We have incoming.”

 “We’re talking about this later,” she agreed. “Right now we have bigger problems.”

 

“Yes, we do,” he said, sending lightning across the field. “Thanos is coming.”

 

“He is,” Lexi nodded, “and our mother expects _me_ to help him.”

 

Nat’s voice sounded softly in Lexi’s ear. “What the hell?”

 

“Say what now?” the raccoon, said, abruptly turning his ridiculously large gun on Lexi. “You’re gonna do _what?_ ”

 

“Stand down, rabbit,” Thor said firmly, eyeing Lexi nervously as she had already pulled both Glocks from their holsters and was pointing them at the raccoon. “Alexa,” he said softly, “what has happened?”

 

“Our mother,” she started again, lowering her weapons as her eyes welled up and her teeth clenched, “just came to me and told me that Thanos needed to succeed to restore balance to the Universe, and that my purpose here is to help guide humanity afterward.”

 

“Wait, your mother is alive, too?” the raccoon said to Thor, confused. “You told me a dark elf killed her.”

 

“Frigga, Queen of Asgard, the woman who raised me, is the only one I shall ever call Mother,” Thor said angrily, “whether she birthed me or not.” Turning back to Lexi, he asked, more gently, “What does your heart tell you?”

 

“I won’t help him,” Lexi said, shaking her head, a tear escaping and rolling down her cheek. “We can’t let him win. We have to stop him.”

 

Thor held up his weapon, and Lexi realized for the first time that it wasn’t Mjolnir. “We will. It ends here.”

 

“We fight?” Lexi asked, a tremulous smile on her face.

 

Thor nodded, returning her smile. “We fight.”

 

Lexi could hear Bruce’s voice, faintly, and Steve said something in response. “Thor?” she said, goose bumps rising all over her exposed skin. “Something’s wrong.”

 

“He is here,” Thor growled, and he was gone, a flash of lightning almost blinding her with its brightness. The raccoon ran after him, as quickly as his legs would carry him.

 

As soon as she made a move to follow, her path was blocked again.

 

_“Mother,”_ Lexi growled, “get out of my way.”

 

The older woman stood her ground. “You cannot stop him.”

 

She felt the chill start to come over her. “I can try.”

 

“Do not think to use your gifts against me again,” her mother said, narrowing her eyes. “That which I provided I can take away as well.”

 

Lexi paused, confused. “That _you_ provided?” she asked. “This…this darkness came from you?”

 

“Of course. It is the most valuable gift you possess. No mere human could impart such abilities.”

 

“ _That’s_ why you wanted me to learn to control it? To _help_ Thanos?” Her mother didn’t answer, simply looked at her with a flat expression.

 

“Of course,” she replied, “and you have succeeded well beyond what I had hoped.”

 

“You used me,” Lexi gritted out, furious beyond words. “You never even gave me a choice. We could have prevented this if we had known!”

 

“All of my children have a purpose,” her mother said in a voice completely devoid of emotion. “This is yours.”

 

“I will not help to destroy half the universe!” Lexi cried, moving to go around the woman in the green cloak.

 

“You already have,” she said. “You have delayed Thor long enough. His attack will not succeed.”

 

“I don’t believe you. Not anymore. Let me pass.”

 

“There is more at stake than you realize,” she said sternly, stopping Lexi in her tracks. “Make no mistake, girl, if Thanos fails in this, his revenge will be terrible.”

 

“More at stake than the decimation of half of my planet? Half of the _universe?”_ Lexi snarled. “I will _not_ betray my people, mother.”

 

“Better half the universe than all of it.”

 

Her mother made a minute hand gesture in her direction, a mere flick of a finger, and Lexi stumbled, doubling over, feeling as though something had been taken from her; not torn away, roughly, but instead plucked out deliberately, with almost surgical precision. She took a deep breath, wincing. “What was that?”

 

Her mother looked at her calmly. “Your destiny is no longer tied to the warrior.”

 

Lexi looked at her in horror, clutching at her chest. _“What did you do?”_ she cried.

 

“He has served his purpose. Your life and line will continue, unhampered by distraction.” She spoke clearly, concisely, as if every word wasn’t driving daggers into Lexi’s heart. “You will carry on, as will your unborn child. You are the only one with all of the abilities necessary to guide humanity through this trial.”

 

***

 

A sharp lance of stabbing pain shot through him.

 

“Lexi,” Bucky gasped, nearly falling forward with his hand on his chest. What the hell was that? Why did he feel like…like Lexi was gone? It made no sense, he could hear her, he could—“Lexi?” he said for the comms. “Lexi, answer me!”

 

When she didn’t respond, a fresh wave of panic crashed over him. He had to find her. He picked up his rifle and charged forward, firing at Thanos. He saw nothing but a momentary flash of light and he was flying backward; tossed aside like a ragdoll, insignificant and unimportant.

 

The smell of dirt and decaying leaves filled his nose. His ears were ringing, muffling the sounds of the battle that still raged around him. He lay on the ground, blinking dazedly at the sky, as he tried to get breath back into his lungs and force his muscles to move.

 

He had to get to Lexi, but they needed to put Thanos down first.

 

He pushed himself to stand on shaky legs, only to be blasted back again in a flash of yellow light.

 

***

 

Lexi gasped in pain, her hand moving unconsciously to cover her lower abdomen. “Bucky? Anyone?” she called into the comms. No one responded; there was silence. She turned furious eyes on her mother. “Where’s Bucky?”

 

“That is no longer your concern.”

 

Lexi narrowed her eyes at the woman before her. “Did you do it?” she asked. “When Bucky and I were together by the river, did you put that vision in my head?”

 

Her mother paused, as if weighing her answer, before simply stating, “Yes.”

 

_“Why?_ Why did you do that?” Lexi cried, absolutely sickened by the betrayal.

 

“We were running out of time. I needed to ensure the continuation of the line.”

 

Suddenly there was a burst of yellow light, the trees at the top of the hill nearly blown over with the force of an explosion. “The Mind Stone,” Lexi whispered, staggered by the uncontrolled release of the stone’s energy. “Vision.”

 

“As I have said, sacrifices must be made to restore balance. If Thanos does not succeed in his plan, he will seek his revenge by destroying this planet and everyone on it.” She paused, her shoulders slumping infinitesimally. “There was no other way.”

 

“There has to be! We can stop this! You can—“ she felt a pull of familiar energy for the second time in just a few moments. Looking up, disbelieving, she saw the explosion she had just witnessed in reverse; the movement of the trees, the burst of light, all of it happening backwards, as if time were reversing itself. “What—what was that?”

 

“There is no stopping Thanos. It is best that you accept your destiny and move forward, child. Fighting against the inevitable will only cause you greater suffering.”

 

“Mother,” Lexi whispered, shaking her head in fear, “please, don’t let this happen, please—“

 

“It is already done.”

 

Her mother drew herself up to her full height, the cloak billowing out around her, and turned the weighty force of her unapologetic and intimidating gaze on her own child. When she spoke, her voice was booming, resonant, and frigid.

 

Lexi dropped to her knees, her hands clasped over her ears, but there was no getting away from the sound of her fate vibrating through her bones and crashing down on her shoulders.

 

_“Now, daughter, learn the lesson you have so feared. If you would save all creation, you must look beyond each single life. Let those who must fall, fall. Mourn the fading of each dead leaf, but do not pause to stop it. Instead, you create anew. Create out of ashes and death. Create out of darkness and chaos. That is how existence fought for life. You will remake yourself…and rise.”_ *

 

*(Paraphrased from _Chaos War_ , Volume 1, Issue 4, Published February 2011)

 

And then, she was gone.

 

There was a sudden, blindingly bright flash of white, and everything around her slowed to a stop as the remaining fighters looked around in confusion. Suddenly the comms returned, and Steve was in her ear, frantic. “Where’d he go? Thor! Where’d he go?”

 

Bucky’s voice was hesitant, bewildered. “Steve?”

 

Lexi was left there, alone, standing in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by death, watching….

 

…as all around her, people crumbled to ash before her eyes. A short distance away, she saw M’Baku, looking around, just as uncertain as she was.

 

“Bucky?” she whispered.

 

He didn’t respond.

 

_“Bucky?”_

 

***

 

She pushed herself up, onto her feet, and started running toward the trees. She staggered up the hill, gasping for air, each breath sawing jaggedly in and out of her lungs. There, amidst the foliage, she could see movement, hear voices. People were there. Bucky must be there.

 

After what felt like an eternity, she pushed through the trees. She saw Thor, Rhodey, and Bruce, still in the Hulkbuster armor.

 

Okoye came through the trees as well, looking confused and frightened, whispering, _“Kumkani.”_

 

The raccoon was sitting despondently on a fallen tree.

 

She couldn’t see Bucky anywhere.

 

Rhodey looked around at everyone. “What is this? What the hell is happening?”

 

She saw Nat, her arm wrapped around her midsection and standing over Steve, who was sitting on the ground by Vision’s colorless body, the Mind Stone having been ripped viciously from his forehead. “Oh, god,” he said.

 

“Steve?” Lexi whispered, her voice breaking. Just as he turned to her, she saw it. A few feet up ahead, lying on the ground next to a pile of ashes, was Bucky’s weapon, his M249 SAW.

 

She stumbled over to it, not hearing any of the people calling her name, her eyes not believing what she was seeing. There was nothing else; not his vibranium arm, not the titanium ring from his right hand, just…nothing but dust.

 

She fell to her knees, her hands clutching at the crumbling ash. As it sifted through her fingers, falling away from her clenching fists, she felt cold. Her breaths were rapid and shallow as ice filled her veins and she started to shake with it. A rushing sound filled her ears and a dark haze fell over her vision. She fell forward, her hands digging into the earth as a horrible sound, full of rage and despair, tore out of her throat, and the earth shook beneath her.

 

“Alexa, stay with us,” a voice was whispering in her ear. “Please, sister, we can not lose you as well.”

 

Thor had knelt beside her, wrapping his huge arms around her shoulders and holding her close as she trembled violently. Tears fell against Lexi’s cheek, though which one of them was crying, she couldn’t tell. “Alexa, we need you. Stay with us.”

 

“We have to find him,” Lexi choked out, unable to take a deep breath.

 

“Find who? Who do you mean?” Nat asked. Her eyes were red and wet.

 

Lexi looked at the others; they were all staring at her and Thor, Nat actively holding Steve back. Lexi looked at the ground they were kneeling on. Everything around them for ten feet had been blackened; the trees, the grass, the earth—Lexi had pulled the energy, the very life out of all of it in her fury, and it sang through her, demanding vengeance.

 

“We have to find Thanos,” Lexi said, her voice rough and ragged. “We find him—“ she stood up shakily, picking up Bucky’s rifle at the same time, “and we kill him. That’s how we fix this.”

 

Thor stood up next to her, a look of concern on his face. “Alexa, your eyes—“

 

“That’s how we get them back.”

 

***

 

Coming Up Next: RYAR, Part 3: “From the Ashes”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is.
> 
> That paragraph, that one piece of dialogue, has driven this story from the very beginning. If you are inclined to find out, a simple Google search will tell you exactly who this mysterious woman is. And yes, this was the plan the whole time.
> 
> For more than three years, I've been waiting to drop this, and I hope you feel that the story evolved naturally enough that it feels genuine. Frankly, that way Infinity War ended (as painful as it was) couldn't have worked out better for the path this story took.
> 
> I'm seeing Endgame in two days. I'm sure I'll watch it multiple times before I decide on how to proceed, going through a year's worth of Kleenex in the process.
> 
> I look forward to your comments (even--or especially--the ALL CAPS SCREAMING) and I hope this meets your expectations. I'll be seeing you all again soon!
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	23. Art By Travelilah (Skyforge)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Travelilah created these amazing pieces of art for me, and I can not for the life of me figure out how to embed artwork in a chapter. (Could make it a little easier, Ao3.)
> 
> I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Here is the link to my tumblr, because I cannot get the pictures to show up here, no matter what I do, and this artwork NEEDS TO BE SEEN.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Travelilah, for these amazing pieces. I am humbled that you deemed my story worthy.

 

<https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gottasavebucky>


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